CVE-2023-49772 – This vulnerability allows unauthenticated attac... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-49772?

CVE-2023-49772 has a CVSS score of 10.0 (CRITICAL). This vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary PHP code through deserialization of untrusted data in the Genesis Simple Love WordPress plugin. All WordPress sites running affected versions of this plugin are vulnerable to complete system compromise.

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary PHP code through deserialization of untrusted data in the Genesis Simple Love WordPress plugin. All WordPress sites running affected versions of this plugin are vulnerable to complete system compromise.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Genesis Simple Love WordPress Plugin

Versions: All versions up to and including 2.0

Operating Systems: Any OS running WordPress

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: All WordPress installations with this plugin active are vulnerable regardless of configuration.

📦 What is this software?

Genesis Simple Love by Phpbits

View all CVEs affecting Genesis Simple Love →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete server takeover leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or use as part of a botnet.

🟠

Likely Case

Remote code execution allowing website defacement, malware injection, or credential theft.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact if proper network segmentation and web application firewalls block exploitation attempts.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: CONFIRMED

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: LOW

Exploitation requires no authentication and has been actively exploited in the wild.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 2.0.1

Vendor Advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/genesis-simple-love/wordpress-genesis-simple-love-plugin-2-0-unauthenticated-php-object-injection-vulnerability

Restart Required: No

Instructions:

1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find Genesis Simple Love and update to version 2.0.1 or later. 4. If update not available, deactivate and delete the plugin immediately.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable Plugin

all

Deactivate the vulnerable plugin to prevent exploitation

wp plugin deactivate genesis-simple-love

Web Application Firewall Rule

all

Block requests to vulnerable plugin endpoints

# Add rule to block /wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-love/ requests

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Immediately deactivate and remove the Genesis Simple Love plugin
Implement strict network segmentation to isolate WordPress servers

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > Genesis Simple Love version. If version is 2.0 or earlier, you are vulnerable.

Check Version:

wp plugin get genesis-simple-love --field=version

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify plugin version is 2.0.1 or later in WordPress admin panel.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

POST requests to /wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-love/ endpoints with serialized data
Unusual PHP process execution from web user

Network Indicators:

HTTP requests containing serialized PHP objects in POST data
Outbound connections from WordPress server to unknown IPs

SIEM Query:

source="web_logs" AND uri="/wp-content/plugins/genesis-simple-love/*" AND (method="POST" OR status_code>=400)

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-49772

CVSS v3 Score: 10.0 (CRITICAL)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-502

Published: December 20, 2023

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

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