CVE-2025-31927
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2025-31927 is a PHP object injection vulnerability in the Acerola WordPress theme that allows attackers to execute arbitrary code through deserialization of untrusted data. This affects all WordPress sites using Acerola theme versions up to 1.6.5. Attackers can potentially gain full control of affected websites.
💻 Affected Systems
- Acerola WordPress Theme
⚠️ 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 website compromise, data theft, malware installation, and server takeover.
Likely Case
Website defacement, backdoor installation, data exfiltration, and privilege escalation to administrator access.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper input validation and output encoding are implemented, though risk remains elevated due to deserialization vulnerability.
🎯 Exploit Status
Deserialization vulnerabilities are commonly exploited and weaponized quickly in WordPress ecosystems.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.6.6 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/wordpress/theme/acerola/vulnerability/wordpress-acerola-1-6-5-php-object-injection-vulnerability?_s_id=cve
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Appearance > Themes. 3. Check for Acerola theme updates. 4. Update to version 1.6.6 or later. 5. Clear any caching plugins/CDN caches.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Acerola Theme
allTemporarily switch to a different WordPress theme until patch can be applied.
wp theme activate twentytwentyfour
wp theme deactivate acerola
Web Application Firewall Rule
allBlock deserialization attempts at WAF level.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict input validation and sanitization for all user inputs
- Deploy web application firewall with rules targeting PHP object injection patterns
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel under Appearance > Themes for Acerola theme version 1.6.5 or earlier.Check Version:
wp theme list --name=acerola --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm Acerola theme version is 1.6.6 or later in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to theme files
- PHP serialized data in request logs
- Unexpected file uploads or modifications
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing serialized PHP objects
- Patterns matching PHP object injection payloads
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND (uri="*acerola*" OR uri="*theme*" OR uri="*wp-content/themes/acerola*") AND (request_body="*O:*" OR request_body="*C:*" OR request_body="*a:*")