CVE-2025-48101
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a PHP object injection vulnerability in the Constant Contact for 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 affected versions of this plugin are vulnerable.
💻 Affected Systems
- Constant Contact for WordPress
⚠️ 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 site takeover, data theft, malware deployment, and server compromise.
Likely Case
Arbitrary code execution within WordPress context, allowing plugin/theme manipulation, backdoor installation, and privilege escalation.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper input validation and output encoding are implemented elsewhere in the application stack.
🎯 Exploit Status
Deserialization vulnerabilities are commonly weaponized. The CWE-502 pattern is well-understood by attackers.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 4.1.2 or later
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel
2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins
3. Find 'Constant Contact for WordPress'
4. Click 'Update Now' if update is available
5. Alternatively, download version 4.1.2+ from WordPress.org and manually update
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Plugin
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate constant-contact-api
Restrict Access
allUse web application firewall to block deserialization attempts
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable the Constant Contact for WordPress plugin immediately
- Implement strict input validation and output encoding for all user inputs
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin → Plugins → Constant Contact for WordPress → Version. If version is 4.1.1 or earlier, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get constant-contact-api --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is 4.1.2 or later in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to WordPress admin-ajax.php or admin-post.php
- PHP serialized data in request parameters
- Unexpected plugin or theme file modifications
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing serialized PHP objects (O: or a: patterns)
- Traffic to known exploit paths for this plugin
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND (uri_path="*admin-ajax.php*" OR uri_path="*admin-post.php*") AND (query_string="*O:*" OR query_string="*a:*")