CVE-2026-27096 in ColorFolio Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 03/19/2026
Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability in BuddhaThemes ColorFolio - Freelance Designer WordPress Theme allows Object Injection.This issue affects ColorFolio - Freelance Designer WordPress Theme: from n/a through 1.3.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/19/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2026-27096 represents a critical deserialization flaw in the BuddhaThemes ColorFolio WordPress theme, specifically impacting versions ranging from an unspecified initial version through 1.3. This issue falls under the category of insecure deserialization, a common yet severe vulnerability pattern that has been consistently documented in industry frameworks such as CWE-502. The vulnerability stems from the theme's improper handling of untrusted data during the deserialization process, creating a pathway for malicious actors to inject arbitrary objects into the application's runtime environment.
The technical flaw manifests when the ColorFolio theme processes user-supplied data that is subsequently deserialized without adequate validation or sanitization. This occurs in the context of WordPress theme functionality where user inputs are expected to be processed through standard request handling mechanisms. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by crafting malicious serialized objects that, when processed by the vulnerable theme, execute arbitrary code on the target system. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple data manipulation as it enables full remote code execution capabilities, making it particularly dangerous in web application environments where themes and plugins are frequently updated and maintained.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risks for WordPress sites utilizing the affected theme, as it allows attackers to gain unauthorized access to the underlying server infrastructure. The exploitation process typically involves sending specially crafted serialized data through HTTP requests, which are then processed by the vulnerable theme's deserialization routines. This attack vector aligns with the ATT&CK framework's technique T1059.007 for command and script injection, while also demonstrating characteristics of T1566 for credential access through social engineering. The vulnerability's severity is compounded by the fact that it affects a widely used WordPress theme, potentially exposing numerous websites to compromise.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2026-27096 require immediate action from site administrators, including updating to the latest version of the ColorFolio theme where the vulnerability has been patched. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation and sanitization measures to prevent untrusted data from reaching deserialization points within their applications. Security professionals should also consider implementing web application firewalls and runtime application self-protection mechanisms to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. Additionally, regular security audits and vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify similar issues in other components of the WordPress ecosystem, as this vulnerability type remains prevalent in many web applications. The remediation process must also include monitoring for exploitation attempts and implementing proper access controls to limit the potential impact of successful attacks.