CVE-2025-60216
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a PHP object injection vulnerability in the BoldThemes Addison WordPress theme. Attackers can exploit insecure deserialization to execute arbitrary code on affected websites. All WordPress sites using Addison theme versions up to and including 1.4.2 are vulnerable.
💻 Affected Systems
- BoldThemes Addison 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 system compromise, data theft, website defacement, or malware installation.
Likely Case
Unauthenticated attackers achieving remote code execution to install backdoors, steal sensitive data, or pivot to other systems.
If Mitigated
Attack blocked at WAF level or prevented by proper input validation and output encoding.
🎯 Exploit Status
Public exploit details available on Patchstack. Deserialization vulnerabilities are commonly weaponized in WordPress environments.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.4.3 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Theme/addison/vulnerability/wordpress-addison-theme-1-4-2-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 Addison theme update notification. 4. Update to version 1.4.3 or later. 5. Alternatively, download latest version from WordPress theme repository.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Addison Theme
allSwitch to a different WordPress theme until patch can be applied.
WordPress Admin > Appearance > Themes > Activate alternative theme
WAF Rule Implementation
allBlock deserialization attempts at web application firewall level.
Add WAF rule to block requests containing serialized PHP objects or suspicious payloads
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict input validation and sanitization for all user inputs
- Deploy web application firewall with rules specifically blocking PHP object injection patterns
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Appearance > Themes > Addison theme version. If version is 1.4.2 or lower, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
WordPress does not have a CLI version check for themes by default. Check via admin panel or inspect theme's style.css file.Verify Fix Applied:
Verify Addison theme version is 1.4.3 or higher in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to theme files
- PHP errors related to unserialize() function
- Unexpected file writes in wp-content directory
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing serialized PHP objects (O:)
- Traffic to known exploit paths for Addison theme
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND (uri="*addison*" OR uri="*boldthemes*") AND (method="POST" OR method="PUT") AND (content="O:" OR content="a:" OR content="s:")