CVE-2023-6049
📋 TL;DR
The Estatik Real Estate WordPress plugin before version 4.1.1 contains a PHP Object Injection vulnerability via cookie deserialization. Unauthenticated attackers can exploit this to execute arbitrary code when a suitable gadget chain exists. All WordPress sites using vulnerable plugin versions are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Estatik Real Estate Plugin for WordPress
📦 What is this software?
Estatik by Estatik
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution leading to complete site compromise, data theft, malware installation, or site defacement.
Likely Case
Arbitrary code execution leading to backdoor installation, data exfiltration, or privilege escalation.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if gadget chains are unavailable, but still potential for denial of service or information disclosure.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires finding suitable gadget chains in the WordPress environment. Public exploit details are available.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 4.1.1
Vendor Advisory: https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/8cfd8c1f-2834-4a94-a3fa-c0cfbe78a8b7
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find Estatik Real Estate Plugin. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available. 5. Alternatively, download version 4.1.1+ from WordPress repository and manually update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Plugin
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable plugin until patching is possible.
wp plugin deactivate estatik
Web Application Firewall Rule
allBlock malicious cookie patterns containing serialized PHP objects.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict WAF rules to block serialized object patterns in cookies
- Restrict plugin access to trusted IP addresses only
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel → Plugins → Estatik Real Estate Plugin version. If version is below 4.1.1, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get estatik --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm plugin version is 4.1.1 or higher in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual cookie values containing serialized PHP objects in web server logs
- Multiple failed exploitation attempts with crafted cookies
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests with unusually long or structured cookie values
- Patterns matching serialized PHP objects in cookie headers
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND (cookie="*O:*" OR cookie="*C:*" OR cookie="*a:*")