CVE-2024-50507
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a PHP object injection vulnerability in the DS.DownloadList WordPress plugin caused by unsafe deserialization of untrusted data. Attackers can exploit this to execute arbitrary code, potentially compromising the entire WordPress site. All WordPress installations using DS.DownloadList plugin versions up to 1.3 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- DS.DownloadList WordPress Plugin
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution leading to complete server compromise, data theft, malware deployment, and lateral movement within the network.
Likely Case
Website defacement, data exfiltration, backdoor installation, and privilege escalation to administrator access.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper web application firewalls, input validation, and least privilege principles are implemented.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation details are publicly available on Patchstack and other security databases.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.4 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/dsdownloadlist/wordpress-ds-downloadlist-plugin-1-3-php-object-injection-vulnerability?_s_id=cve
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find DS.DownloadList and update to version 1.4+. 4. If update not available, deactivate and delete the plugin immediately.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable DS.DownloadList Plugin
allDeactivate the vulnerable plugin to prevent exploitation.
wp plugin deactivate dsdownloadlist
Web Application Firewall Rule
allBlock requests containing serialized PHP objects targeting the plugin endpoints.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Immediately deactivate and remove the DS.DownloadList plugin from all WordPress installations.
- Implement strict input validation and sanitization for all user-supplied data in custom code.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > Installed Plugins for DS.DownloadList version 1.3 or earlier.Check Version:
wp plugin get dsdownloadlist --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm DS.DownloadList plugin is updated to version 1.4+ or completely removed from the plugins directory.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to DS.DownloadList endpoints
- PHP errors related to unserialize() or object injection
- Unexpected file creation in wp-content/uploads
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing serialized PHP objects (O: or a: patterns)
- Traffic to known malicious domains from WordPress server
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("dsdownloadlist" OR "unserialize" OR "PHP object injection")