CVE-2026-118080 in Social Snap Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 10/29/2026
Contributor PHP Object Injection in Social Snap <= 1.5.4 versions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/29/2026
The vulnerability identified as Contributor PHP Object Injection within the Social Snap plugin for WordPress, affecting versions up to and including 1.5.4, represents a critical security flaw rooted in insufficient input validation and improper handling of user-supplied data during object serialization processes. This type of attack vector allows an attacker with contributor-level or lower privileges on a compromised WordPress installation to manipulate PHP objects stored within the application's state. By exploiting this weakness, malicious actors can inject crafted serialized payloads that are subsequently deserialized by the server-side code without adequate sanitization checks. The core technical flaw lies in the plugin’s failure to restrict which classes and methods can be instantiated or invoked during the unserialization of data provided through various endpoints, such as form submissions or AJAX requests associated with social sharing features.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability aligns closely with CWE-502, which describes Deserialization of Untrusted Data. When an application accepts input from users and passes it directly to PHP’s unserialize function without verifying the integrity or origin of the data, it creates an opportunity for attackers to craft malicious objects that exploit magic methods like __wakeup(), __destruct(), or __toString(). In the context of Social Snap, these functions may trigger side effects such as file inclusion, remote code execution, or privilege escalation depending on the available classes in the WordPress environment. The attacker does not need administrative access initially; instead, they leverage their existing contributor role to submit specially crafted requests that bypass standard security controls due to the plugin’s permissive handling of serialized strings.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe, as it can lead to complete compromise of the underlying web server and database hosting the WordPress site. Once an attacker successfully exploits the PHP object injection, they may achieve remote code execution (RCE), allowing them to execute arbitrary commands on the host system. This capability enables further lateral movement within the network, data exfiltration, defacement of the website, or installation of backdoors for persistent access. Additionally, because Social Snap is a widely used plugin for managing social media integration and sharing buttons across WordPress sites, the widespread adoption increases the potential blast radius if this vulnerability remains unpatched in deployed environments.
This incident maps to several MITRE ATT&CK techniques relevant to web application attacks. Specifically, it relates to T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter through PHP execution capabilities gained via object injection, as well as T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application where the vulnerability is leveraged against a service exposed to users with varying privilege levels. The attack path typically involves reconnaissance followed by exploitation of weak input validation mechanisms inherent in legacy or poorly maintained codebases that fail to adhere to secure coding standards regarding serialization practices.
To mitigate this risk, administrators must immediately update Social Snap to version 1.5.4 or later where the issue has been addressed through stricter type checking and whitelisting of allowed classes during deserialization operations. If updating is not feasible in the short term, implementing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule set capable of detecting anomalous serialized payloads can provide temporary protection by blocking requests containing known malicious patterns associated with PHP object injection attacks. Furthermore, enforcing principle of least privilege ensures that even if an attacker gains contributor-level access, their ability to interact with sensitive plugin functions is minimized. Regular security audits and code reviews focusing on input validation and serialization handling are essential preventive measures against similar vulnerabilities in future software releases.