CVE-2024-8016
📋 TL;DR
The Events Calendar Pro WordPress plugin is vulnerable to PHP object injection through deserialization of untrusted input in the 'filters' parameter. This allows authenticated attackers with administrator access (or contributor access when Elementor is installed) to execute arbitrary code. All versions up to 7.0.2 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- The Events Calendar Pro WordPress plugin
📦 What is this software?
Events Calendar Pro by Theeventscalendar
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full server compromise leading to data theft, malware deployment, or complete site takeover via remote code execution.
Likely Case
Unauthorized code execution leading to backdoor installation, data exfiltration, or site defacement.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper access controls and network segmentation prevent exploitation attempts.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires authenticated access (admin by default, contributor+ with Elementor). POP chain presence enables RCE.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 7.0.2.1
Vendor Advisory: https://theeventscalendar.com/blog/news/important-security-update-for-the-events-calendar-pro/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'The Events Calendar Pro' and click 'Update Now'. 4. Verify version is 7.0.2.1 or higher.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable vulnerable widgets
allRemove or disable widgets using the 'filters' parameter to prevent exploitation.
Restrict user roles
allTemporarily limit administrator and contributor access to essential personnel only.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable The Events Calendar Pro plugin entirely until patched
- Implement web application firewall rules to block requests containing suspicious serialized data
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check plugin version in WordPress admin panel under Plugins → Installed Plugins.Check Version:
wp plugin list --name='The Events Calendar Pro' --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm plugin version is 7.0.2.1 or higher in WordPress admin.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- POST requests to widget endpoints containing serialized data in 'filters' parameter
- Unusual PHP process execution from web user context
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests with base64-encoded or serialized data in parameters
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND (uri_path="*widget*" OR uri_path="*admin-ajax*") AND (param="filters" AND value="*O:*")