CVE-2026-97284 in Icegram Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 10/01/2026
Contributor PHP Object Injection in Icegram <= 3.1.31 versions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/01/2026
The vulnerability identified as Contributor PHP Object Injection within Icegram versions prior to 3.1.31 represents a critical security flaw rooted in the improper handling of user-supplied input during object deserialization processes. This specific weakness allows an attacker with contributor-level or lower privileges on a WordPress installation to manipulate serialized data, leading to unauthorized execution of arbitrary code or unintended side effects within the application context. The root cause lies in the plugin's failure to validate and sanitize inputs that are subsequently passed into PHP’s unserialize function without adequate safeguards against malicious payload construction. This type of vulnerability is classically categorized under CWE-502, which denotes Deserialization of Untrusted Data, a category known for its potential to lead to remote code execution when combined with accessible gadget chains within the application's dependency tree or core libraries.
From an operational perspective, this flaw significantly compromises the integrity and confidentiality of the targeted WordPress environment. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability can achieve arbitrary file reads by leveraging specific PHP classes that interact with the filesystem, potentially exposing sensitive configuration files such as wp-config.php which contain database credentials and security keys. Furthermore, if suitable gadget chains are present in the server's PHP environment or included plugins, the attacker could escalate privileges to execute system commands remotely. This effectively transforms a low-privilege contributor account into a full compromise of the web application and potentially the underlying host infrastructure. The impact extends beyond immediate data theft, as it can be used to install persistent backdoors, deface websites, or pivot further into internal networks if the server is part of a larger cluster.
The exploitation mechanism typically involves crafting a malicious serialized string that contains references to vulnerable classes available in the PHP runtime environment. When Icegram processes this input without proper type checking or whitelisting of allowed class names, it instantiates these objects with attacker-controlled properties. This aligns closely with MITRE ATT&CK technique T1059, specifically Command and Scripting Interpreter sub-techniques, as well as T1203 for Exploitation for Client Execution if the payload is designed to trigger client-side actions through browser interactions facilitated by server-side state manipulation. The lack of strict input validation on contributor-level endpoints highlights a common oversight in plugin development where assumptions about user intent are not sufficiently guarded against malicious actors who may have compromised low-privilege accounts or gained access through other means such as credential stuffing or phishing.
To mitigate this vulnerability, immediate action is required to update the Icegram plugin to version 3.1.31 or later, which includes patches for input validation and secure deserialization practices. In environments where updating is not immediately feasible, administrators should implement strict file permissions to limit read access to sensitive configuration files and consider deploying a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with rules specifically tuned to detect anomalous serialized data patterns in POST requests. Additionally, enforcing the principle of least privilege by auditing user roles and removing unnecessary contributor accounts can reduce the attack surface. Long-term remediation strategies should include adopting secure coding standards that mandate the use of safe alternatives to unserialize, such as JSON for data interchange where possible, or implementing strict class whitelisting mechanisms during deserialization to ensure only expected object types are instantiated from untrusted input streams.