CVE-2024-30223 in ARMember Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 03/28/2024
Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability in Repute Infosystems ARMember.This issue affects ARMember: from n/a through 4.0.26.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/30/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-30223 represents a critical deserialization flaw within the ARMember plugin developed by Repute Infosystems. This issue falls under the category of insecure deserialization, a well-documented weakness that occurs when applications deserialize untrusted data without proper validation or sanitization. The vulnerability affects all versions of ARMember from the initial release through version 4.0.26, indicating a prolonged exposure window that could have allowed attackers to exploit this weakness for extended periods. The flaw specifically resides in how the plugin processes serialized data, which typically occurs when the application receives data from external sources and attempts to reconstruct objects from serialized representations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the plugin's failure to validate or sanitize input data during the deserialization process. When malicious actors submit crafted serialized data to the affected system, they can potentially execute arbitrary code on the target server. This weakness enables attackers to bypass normal access controls and gain unauthorized access to the system. The deserialization process itself is inherently dangerous because it allows attackers to manipulate the data structure during reconstruction, potentially leading to remote code execution or privilege escalation. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that it affects a widely used membership plugin, making it an attractive target for automated exploitation campaigns.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risks for organizations utilizing the ARMember plugin. Attackers who successfully exploit this flaw can gain complete control over the affected WordPress installation, potentially leading to data breaches, website defacement, or the establishment of persistent backdoors. The attack surface extends beyond simple code execution to include potential privilege escalation scenarios where attackers can elevate their access levels within the system. The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-502, which specifically addresses deserialization of untrusted data, and follows patterns commonly seen in the ATT&CK framework under the T1210 technique for exploitation of remote services. Organizations running affected versions face the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive user data, including membership information, personal details, and potentially financial records stored within the plugin's database.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patching of all affected ARMember installations to version 4.0.27 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes. System administrators should also implement network-level restrictions to limit access to the affected plugin endpoints and consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious deserialization attempts. Additional protective measures include disabling unnecessary serialization functionality, implementing strict input validation for all data sources, and conducting regular security audits of plugin installations. Organizations should also monitor their systems for signs of exploitation attempts and maintain comprehensive backup strategies to ensure rapid recovery in case of successful attacks. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of validating all input data and implementing proper security controls during the deserialization process, aligning with industry best practices outlined in OWASP Top 10 and NIST cybersecurity guidelines for preventing injection attacks and maintaining secure software development practices.