CVE-2025-52724
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2025-52724 is a PHP object injection vulnerability in the BoldThemes Amwerk WordPress theme that allows attackers to execute arbitrary code through deserialization of untrusted data. This affects all WordPress sites using Amwerk theme versions up to 1.2.0. Successful exploitation could lead to complete system compromise.
💻 Affected Systems
- BoldThemes Amwerk 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 full server compromise, data theft, website defacement, and installation of persistent backdoors.
Likely Case
Website takeover, administrative access to WordPress, data exfiltration, and malware deployment.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper input validation and output encoding are implemented, though risk remains elevated due to deserialization flaws.
🎯 Exploit Status
Public exploit details available on Patchstack. Deserialization vulnerabilities are commonly weaponized due to their potential for RCE.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.2.1 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/wordpress/theme/amwerk/vulnerability/wordpress-amwerk-1-2-0-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 Amwerk theme updates. 4. Update to version 1.2.1 or later. 5. Clear any caching plugins/CDN caches.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Amwerk Theme
allSwitch to a different WordPress theme until patch can be applied
wp theme activate twentytwentyfour
wp theme deactivate amwerk
Web Application Firewall Rule
allBlock deserialization attempts at WAF level
Add rule to block requests containing serialized PHP objects in POST/PUT parameters
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict input validation to reject serialized data in user inputs
- Deploy web application firewall with rules specifically targeting PHP object injection patterns
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Appearance > Themes for Amwerk version. If version is 1.2.0 or lower, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
wp theme list --name=amwerk --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify Amwerk theme version is 1.2.1 or higher in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to theme files
- PHP unserialize() errors in logs
- Unexpected file uploads or modifications
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing serialized PHP objects (O: or a: patterns)
- Traffic to unfamiliar admin-ajax.php endpoints
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND (uri="*amwerk*" OR uri="*admin-ajax.php*") AND (request_body="*O:*" OR request_body="*a:*")