CVE-2024-13789: Matiskiba Ravpage RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2024-13789 Overview

The ravpage plugin for WordPress contains a PHP Object Injection vulnerability in all versions up to and including 2.31. This insecure deserialization flaw exists in the paramsv2 parameter, allowing unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary PHP objects. While no known POP (Property-Oriented Programming) chain is present in the vulnerable software itself, the presence of additional plugins or themes with exploitable POP chains could enable attackers to perform devastating actions including arbitrary file deletion, sensitive data retrieval, or remote code execution.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can exploit this PHP Object Injection vulnerability to potentially execute arbitrary code, delete files, or steal sensitive data when combined with a POP chain from another installed plugin or theme.

Affected Products

• Matiskiba ravpage plugin for WordPress (all versions through 2.31)

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-02-20 - CVE CVE-2024-13789 published to NVD
• 2025-02-25 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-13789

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as Insecure Deserialization (CWE-502), a dangerous class of vulnerabilities where untrusted user input is passed to PHP's deserialization functions. The ravpage WordPress plugin fails to properly validate or sanitize data received through the paramsv2 parameter before deserializing it, creating an object injection vector accessible to unauthenticated users.

The exploitation potential depends heavily on the WordPress environment. While the ravpage plugin itself does not contain a usable POP chain, many WordPress sites run numerous plugins and themes. Any of these could inadvertently provide the magic methods (__wakeup(), __destruct(), __toString(), etc.) necessary to chain object calls into malicious actions.

Root Cause

The root cause stems from the direct use of PHP's unserialize() function on user-controlled input without proper validation. The vulnerable code path exists in ravpage.php where the paramsv2 parameter is processed. This violates secure coding practices that mandate never deserializing untrusted data or implementing strict type checking and whitelisting of allowed classes.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-based and requires no authentication or user interaction. An attacker can craft malicious serialized PHP objects and submit them through the paramsv2 parameter. The attack flow typically involves:

1. Identifying WordPress sites running vulnerable versions of the ravpage plugin
2. Scanning for installed plugins/themes that provide exploitable POP chains
3. Crafting a serialized payload that chains available magic methods
4. Submitting the payload to trigger object instantiation and method execution

The vulnerability becomes particularly dangerous in environments with popular plugins known to contain POP chains, as attackers can achieve remote code execution without any privileges.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-13789

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual serialized data patterns in web server access logs targeting ravpage plugin endpoints
• Unexpected file modifications or deletions in the WordPress installation directory
• Anomalous PHP processes spawned by the web server
• Database queries or file operations inconsistent with normal plugin behavior

Detection Strategies

• Monitor web application firewall (WAF) logs for serialized PHP object patterns in POST/GET parameters
• Implement file integrity monitoring on WordPress installations to detect unauthorized changes
• Review web server logs for requests containing suspicious paramsv2 parameter values with serialized data signatures (e.g., patterns starting with O:, a:, s:)
• Deploy WordPress security plugins that can detect known deserialization attack patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging for WordPress and monitor for deserialization-related PHP errors
• Implement network-level monitoring for traffic patterns associated with exploitation attempts
• Configure alerting for any changes to critical WordPress files outside of normal update windows
• Regularly audit installed plugins and themes for known POP chains that could be leveraged

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-13789

Immediate Actions Required

• Immediately disable or remove the ravpage plugin from all WordPress installations until a patched version is available
• Conduct a thorough audit of the WordPress environment to check for signs of compromise
• Review and remove any unnecessary plugins or themes that could provide POP chains
• Implement web application firewall rules to block serialized PHP object patterns in requests

Patch Information

Organizations should monitor the WordPress Plugin Source Code repository and Wordfence Vulnerability Analysis for security updates. Until an official patch is released, complete removal of the plugin is the safest mitigation approach.

Workarounds

• Remove the ravpage plugin entirely if it is not business-critical
• If the plugin must remain active, implement strict WAF rules to filter serialized data from the paramsv2 parameter
• Reduce attack surface by removing unused plugins and themes that may contain POP chains
• Consider implementing PHP configuration changes to disable dangerous functions that POP chains commonly target