CVE-2026-62014 in EmojiNation Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 10/29/2026
Unauthenticated PHP Object Injection in EmojiNation <= 1.0.12 versions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/29/2026
The vulnerability identified as an unauthenticated PHP object injection flaw within the EmojiNation application, specifically affecting versions up to and including 1.0.12, represents a critical security risk that stems from improper handling of user-supplied input during the deserialization process. This type of vulnerability is fundamentally rooted in CWE-502, which denotes Deserialization of Untrusted Data. In this context, the application fails to validate or sanitize data before passing it into PHP's unserialize function or similar mechanisms that reconstruct object states from serialized strings. Because the attack vector does not require authentication, any external actor on the network can interact with the vulnerable endpoint and attempt to inject maliciously crafted serialized payloads directly into the application logic.
The technical mechanism behind this exploitation relies heavily on the existence of "gadgets" within the PHP environment or included libraries that are susceptible to unsafe deserialization. When an attacker submits a specially constructed string, they manipulate the internal state of instantiated objects during the unserialization phase. By exploiting magic methods such as __wakeup, __destruct, or __toString, which are automatically invoked by PHP when certain operations occur on these objects, the attacker can trigger unintended side effects. These gadgets often allow for arbitrary code execution because many common libraries and frameworks contain classes that perform dangerous functions like file system access, database queries, or command execution within their destructors or wakeup methods. Consequently, a successful exploit does not merely result in data leakage but typically leads to complete remote code execution on the server hosting the application.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to its unauthenticated nature and the potential for full system compromise. An attacker can leverage this flaw to execute arbitrary commands with the privileges of the web server process, which often has broad access rights within the host environment. This capability allows for the exfiltration of sensitive data stored in databases or file systems, modification of application content to deface websites or inject malware, and potentially pivoting into other internal network segments if the server is part of a larger infrastructure. The lack of authentication requirements means that automated scanning tools can easily discover and exploit this weakness across large numbers of internet-facing instances without needing valid credentials, significantly increasing the likelihood of widespread compromise in environments where EmojiNation has been deployed with default or outdated configurations.
Mitigation strategies must focus on immediate remediation through software updates and architectural hardening if an update is not immediately available. The primary defense is to upgrade the EmojiNation application to a version greater than 1.0.12, as this should contain patches that address the input validation flaws responsible for the injection. In scenarios where upgrading is delayed or impossible due to legacy constraints, administrators must implement strict allowlists for deserialization by avoiding the use of unserialize on user-controlled data entirely. If unserialization is unavoidable, developers should employ a custom serialization handler that restricts which classes can be instantiated during the process. Additionally, deploying Web Application Firewalls with rules specifically tuned to detect serialized payload patterns and anomalous HTTP request structures can provide an additional layer of defense by blocking malicious requests before they reach the application logic.
From a threat intelligence perspective, this vulnerability aligns with MITRE ATT&CK technique T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter, as exploitation typically results in command execution on the host system. It also relates to T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application, given that the attack surface is exposed without authentication requirements. Security teams should prioritize patching this vulnerability alongside other critical flaws to reduce the overall attack surface of their infrastructure. Regular audits of third-party dependencies and strict input validation practices are essential preventive measures against similar deserialization attacks in PHP-based ecosystems.