CVE-2023-52205 – This CVE describes a PHP object injection vulne... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-52205?

CVE-2023-52205 has a CVSS score of 9.1 (CRITICAL). This CVE describes a PHP object injection vulnerability in the HTML5 SoundCloud Player with Playlist Free WordPress plugin. Attackers can exploit deserialization of untrusted data to execute arbitrary code, potentially compromising websites running vulnerable versions. All WordPress sites using this plugin from any version up to 2.8.0 are affected.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes a PHP object injection vulnerability in the HTML5 SoundCloud Player with Playlist Free WordPress plugin. Attackers can exploit deserialization of untrusted data to execute arbitrary code, potentially compromising websites running vulnerable versions. All WordPress sites using this plugin from any version up to 2.8.0 are affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

HTML5 SoundCloud Player with Playlist Free WordPress plugin

Versions: All versions up to and including 2.8.0

Operating Systems: Any OS running WordPress

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Requires WordPress installation with the vulnerable plugin activated.

📦 What is this software?

Html5 Soundcloud Player With Playlist Free by Svnlabs

View all CVEs affecting Html5 Soundcloud Player With Playlist Free →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Remote code execution leading to complete server compromise, data theft, malware installation, or website defacement.

🟠

Likely Case

Unauthenticated attackers gaining shell access, installing backdoors, or stealing sensitive data from the WordPress database.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact with proper web application firewalls and security monitoring detecting exploitation attempts.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: LOW

Public exploit details available through Patchstack and security advisories.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 2.8.1 or later

Vendor Advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/html5-soundcloud-player-with-playlist/wordpress-html5-soundcloud-player-plugin-2-8-0-php-object-injection-vulnerability

Restart Required: No

Instructions:

1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins. 3. Update HTML5 SoundCloud Player with Playlist Free to version 2.8.1 or later. 4. Verify update completes successfully.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable vulnerable plugin

all

Temporarily deactivate the plugin until patched version is available.

wp plugin deactivate html5-soundcloud-player-with-playlist

Web Application Firewall rule

all

Block requests containing serialized PHP object payloads targeting the plugin.

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Remove the plugin entirely if not essential for website functionality.
Implement strict network segmentation and monitor for unusual outbound connections from the web server.

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins for HTML5 SoundCloud Player with Playlist Free version 2.8.0 or earlier.

Check Version:

wp plugin get html5-soundcloud-player-with-playlist --field=version

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm plugin version is 2.8.1 or later in WordPress admin panel.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unusual POST requests to plugin endpoints
PHP errors related to unserialize() function
Unexpected file creation in wp-content/uploads

Network Indicators:

Outbound connections from web server to unknown IPs
Unusual spikes in traffic to plugin-specific URLs

SIEM Query:

source="wordpress.log" AND ("html5-soundcloud-player" OR "unserialize")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-52205

CVSS v3 Score: 9.1 (CRITICAL)

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

CWE: CWE-502

Published: January 8, 2024

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

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