CVE-2024-1950 in Product Carousel Slider & Grid Ultimate for WooCommerce Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 03/13/2024
The Product Carousel Slider & Grid Ultimate for WooCommerce plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 1.9.7 via deserialization of untrusted input via shortcode. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with contributor access and above, to inject a PHP Object. No POP chain is present in the vulnerable plugin. If a POP chain is present via an additional plugin or theme installed on the target system, it could allow the attacker to delete arbitrary files, retrieve sensitive data, or execute code.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/12/2026
The CVE-2024-1950 vulnerability affects the Product Carousel Slider & Grid Ultimate plugin for WooCommerce, which is a widely used WordPress plugin for displaying product carousels and grids. This vulnerability represents a critical security flaw that allows authenticated attackers with contributor-level access or higher to perform PHP object injection attacks. The vulnerability specifically occurs during the deserialization of untrusted input through shortcode parameters, creating a pathway for malicious code execution within the WordPress environment. The flaw exists in all versions up to and including 1.9.7, making a significant portion of users potentially vulnerable to exploitation.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation and sanitization within the plugin's shortcode handling mechanism. When a user with contributor privileges or higher submits a shortcode containing malicious serialized PHP objects, the plugin fails to properly validate or escape this input before deserializing it. This deserialization process occurs in a context where the attacker can control the object structure, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution or data manipulation. The vulnerability is classified as a PHP Object Injection issue, which aligns with CWE-502, a well-known weakness in software design that occurs when untrusted data is deserialized without proper validation, allowing attackers to manipulate object states and execute unintended code.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple code execution capabilities, as it can be leveraged to perform various malicious activities within the compromised WordPress environment. Attackers with contributor access can potentially delete arbitrary files from the server, extract sensitive data from the database, or even install backdoors for persistent access. The absence of a POP (Points of No Return) chain within the vulnerable plugin itself means that exploitation requires additional components or plugins with existing chains to achieve full compromise. However, this limitation does not reduce the severity of the vulnerability, as many WordPress installations include additional plugins or themes that may contain such chains, making the exploitation path more accessible. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it requires minimal privileges, making it a significant threat to WordPress sites where contributor-level accounts may be compromised or where user access controls are not properly enforced.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate plugin updates to version 1.9.8 or later, which contains the necessary patches to prevent the deserialization of untrusted input. System administrators should also implement additional security measures such as restricting contributor-level access to shortcode creation and implementing proper input validation at multiple levels. The WordPress security community should monitor for any additional vulnerabilities that may be present in the plugin ecosystem, as the presence of PHP Object Injection vulnerabilities often indicates broader security issues within the codebase. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and security monitoring solutions that can detect and prevent deserialization attacks, as these vulnerabilities are increasingly targeted by automated exploitation tools. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and the principle of least privilege in WordPress security, where even low-privilege accounts should not be able to execute potentially destructive operations through plugin interfaces.