CVE-2026-22474 in Equestrian Centre Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 03/05/2026
Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability in ThemeREX Equestrian Centre equestrian-centre allows Object Injection.This issue affects Equestrian Centre: from n/a through <= 1.5.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/11/2026
The CVE-2026-22474 vulnerability represents a critical deserialization flaw within the ThemeREX Equestrian Centre WordPress theme, specifically impacting versions ranging from the initial release through version 1.5. This vulnerability falls under the category of insecure deserialization as defined by CWE-502, where the application processes untrusted data through deserialization mechanisms without proper validation or sanitization. The flaw enables attackers to inject malicious objects during the deserialization process, creating a potential attack vector for remote code execution and system compromise.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when the theme processes user-supplied data through PHP's unserialize() function or similar deserialization methods without adequate input validation. Attackers can craft malicious serialized objects that, when processed by the vulnerable theme, execute arbitrary code on the target system. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication, making it a significant threat to WordPress installations using the affected theme. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that deserialization flaws often bypass traditional security controls and can be leveraged to achieve privilege escalation or complete system takeover.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates substantial risk for WordPress administrators and website owners who have not updated to patched versions of the Equestrian Centre theme. The attack surface is broad since WordPress themes are frequently used and often contain complex serialization logic for handling theme options, customizer settings, and user data persistence. The vulnerability enables attackers to potentially execute malicious code with the privileges of the web server, leading to data breaches, defacement, or further compromise of the hosting environment. This flaw directly aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter and can be used for lateral movement within compromised networks.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate remediation through updating to the latest version of the Equestrian Centre theme where the vulnerability has been patched. System administrators should implement comprehensive monitoring for unusual deserialization patterns and consider implementing web application firewalls with rules specifically targeting known malicious serialization payloads. Additionally, the principle of least privilege should be enforced by running web applications with minimal required permissions and implementing proper input validation and sanitization for all user-supplied data. Organizations should also conduct thorough security assessments of their WordPress installations to identify other potential deserialization vulnerabilities and establish regular patch management procedures to prevent similar issues from arising in the future.