CVE-2025-26885
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows attackers to inject malicious objects through deserialization of untrusted data in the Brent Jett Assistant WordPress plugin. Successful exploitation could lead to remote code execution or data manipulation. All WordPress sites using Assistant plugin versions up to 1.5.1 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Brent Jett Assistant 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 system compromise, data theft, or ransomware deployment.
Likely Case
Unauthenticated attackers executing arbitrary PHP code, creating backdoors, or modifying site content.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper input validation and output encoding are implemented elsewhere.
🎯 Exploit Status
Deserialization vulnerabilities are commonly exploited with publicly available tools.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.5.2 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/wordpress/plugin/assistant/vulnerability/wordpress-assistant-plugin-1-5-1-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 'Assistant' plugin. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available. 5. If no update appears, manually download version 1.5.2+ from WordPress.org. 6. Deactivate old version. 7. Upload and activate new version.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Assistant Plugin
allTemporarily deactivate the vulnerable plugin until patched.
wp plugin deactivate assistant
Restrict Plugin Access
allUse web application firewall to block requests to Assistant plugin endpoints.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict input validation and sanitization for all user-supplied data
- Deploy web application firewall with deserialization attack detection rules
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > Assistant plugin version number.Check Version:
wp plugin get assistant --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm Assistant plugin version is 1.5.2 or higher in WordPress admin.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to Assistant plugin endpoints
- PHP error logs containing unserialize() warnings
- Unexpected file creation in wp-content/uploads
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests with serialized PHP objects in parameters
- Traffic to known exploit paths for Assistant plugin
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("assistant" OR "unserialize") AND status=200