CVE-2026-118077 in Sastra Essential Addons for Elementor Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 10/29/2026
Author PHP Object Injection in Sastra Essential Addons for Elementor <= 1.2.3 versions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/29/2026
The vulnerability identified as Author PHP Object Injection within the Sastra Essential Addons for Elementor plugin, affecting versions up to and including 1.2.3, represents a critical security flaw rooted in improper handling of user-supplied input during object instantiation processes. This specific type of injection allows an attacker to manipulate serialized data that is subsequently passed to PHP's unserialize function without adequate validation or sanitization. In the context of WordPress plugins utilizing Elementor page builder frameworks, such vulnerabilities often arise when plugin developers accept parameters from GET or POST requests and directly use them to construct objects or trigger methods that rely on internal state variables. The core technical flaw lies in the lack of strict type checking and the absence of a whitelist for allowed classes during deserialization. When an application accepts untrusted data and passes it to unserialize, it creates a pathway for attackers to inject malicious serialized payloads containing instances of vulnerable classes available within the PHP environment or the plugin itself.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability falls under CWE-502, which denotes Deserialization of Untrusted Data. The exploitation mechanism typically involves crafting a specific payload that exploits magic methods such as __wakeup(), __destruct(), or __toString() present in certain classes loaded by the application. By controlling these methods through injected serialized objects, an attacker can achieve arbitrary code execution on the server hosting the WordPress instance. This is particularly dangerous because it bypasses standard authentication mechanisms if the vulnerable endpoint does not require a logged-in user state, although many such vulnerabilities in plugins are restricted to authenticated users with lower privileges like subscribers or authors who have access to specific form submissions or AJAX handlers within the plugin's interface. The attacker constructs a serialized string that includes references to classes capable of executing system commands, reading sensitive files, or modifying database records, thereby turning what appears as benign user input into a powerful remote code execution vector.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted. Successful exploitation grants an unauthorized actor full control over the web server's PHP environment running the compromised WordPress site. This can lead to complete website defacement, where attackers modify public-facing content for malicious purposes or propaganda. More critically, it allows for data exfiltration, enabling the theft of sensitive customer information, administrative credentials stored in the database, and proprietary business logic contained within theme files. Furthermore, a compromised server often becomes part of larger botnets used to launch distributed denial-of-service attacks against other targets or serves as a pivot point for lateral movement into internal network segments if the web server has broader network access. The presence of such a vulnerability significantly undermines the integrity and availability guarantees expected from enterprise-grade web applications built on WordPress ecosystems.
Mitigation strategies must address both immediate remediation and long-term defensive posture improvements. For administrators using Sastra Essential Addons for Elementor, the primary action is to upgrade the plugin immediately to version 1.2.4 or later, where this specific deserialization flaw has been patched by implementing strict input validation and restricting allowed classes during unserialization operations. In scenarios where immediate patching is not feasible due to compatibility concerns with other plugins, temporary mitigations include disabling PHP's unserialize function via server-level configurations if possible, although this may break legitimate functionality requiring dynamic object loading. Additionally, deploying a Web Application Firewall can help detect and block known malicious serialized payloads based on signature patterns associated with common exploitation techniques for CWE-502 vulnerabilities.
From an industry standards perspective, this vulnerability aligns closely with the MITRE ATT&CK technique T1059, specifically Command and Scripting Interpreter: PHP, as it enables attackers to execute arbitrary commands through injected code. It also relates to T1190, Exploit Public-Facing Application, highlighting how external-facing services are targeted for initial access. Security teams should audit their WordPress installations not only for this specific plugin but also review other plugins that handle user input in complex ways involving object-oriented programming features. Regular security audits focusing on deserialization practices and enforcing strict coding standards that prohibit the use of unserialize with untrusted data are essential preventive measures to maintain a robust security posture against similar threats across the broader WordPress ecosystem.