CVE-2024-2694: Muffingroup Betheme RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2024-2694 Overview

CVE-2024-2694 affects the Betheme theme for WordPress, a commercial multipurpose theme distributed by Muffingroup. The vulnerability exists in all versions up to and including 27.5.6. It stems from insecure deserialization [CWE-502] of the mfn-page-items post meta value. Authenticated attackers with contributor-level access or higher can inject arbitrary PHP objects. The Betheme code itself does not ship a Property-Oriented Programming (POP) chain. However, if a POP chain exists in another installed plugin or theme, attackers can chain it to delete arbitrary files, exfiltrate sensitive data, or execute code on the server.

Critical Impact

Contributor-level accounts can trigger PHP Object Injection, which may lead to arbitrary file deletion, sensitive data disclosure, or remote code execution when a compatible POP chain is present on the host.

Affected Products

• Muffingroup Betheme for WordPress, all versions up to and including 27.5.6
• WordPress sites bundling Betheme with additional plugins or themes that expose POP chains
• Multi-author WordPress deployments granting contributor-level or higher accounts

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-08-30 - CVE-2024-2694 published to the National Vulnerability Database
• 2026-06-17 - Last updated in the NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-2694

Vulnerability Analysis

The Betheme theme stores per-page configuration inside the mfn-page-items post meta value. When the theme reads this meta value, it passes the stored string to PHP's unserialize() function without validating that the input is trusted. This behavior maps directly to Insecure Deserialization [CWE-502]. Because contributors can influence the meta value through the post editor workflow, an authenticated user can supply a crafted serialized payload. PHP then instantiates arbitrary objects declared in any class loaded at runtime, invoking magic methods such as __wakeup() or __destruct() on attacker-controlled data. The Betheme codebase itself lacks a usable POP chain, so exploitation depends on other installed extensions exposing gadget classes.

Root Cause

The root cause is the direct deserialization of user-supplied post meta content. Trusting mfn-page-items for unserialize() violates the principle of treating post meta as untrusted input, especially when contributors can write to it.

Attack Vector

An attacker authenticates to WordPress with at least contributor privileges. The attacker submits a post or page containing a crafted serialized string in the mfn-page-items meta field. When Betheme processes the meta value, unserialize() reconstructs the attacker's object graph. If a bundled plugin or theme provides a POP chain, the chained magic-method calls yield arbitrary file deletion, information disclosure, or code execution. No verified public exploit or proof-of-concept URL is listed in the enriched data. See the Wordfence Vulnerability Report for additional technical context.

// No verified exploit code available. The vulnerability is triggered by
// storing a crafted serialized PHP object in the 'mfn-page-items' post meta
// value, which Betheme later passes to unserialize() without validation.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-2694

Indicators of Compromise

• Post meta entries under the mfn-page-items key containing serialized PHP object markers such as O: or C: followed by class names not defined by Betheme.
• Contributor or author accounts editing or creating posts with unusually large or binary-looking meta payloads.
• Unexpected file deletions, outbound HTTP requests, or process launches from the php-fpm or web server user shortly after post save operations.

Detection Strategies

• Query the wp_postmeta table for rows where meta_key = 'mfn-page-items' and inspect values that begin with serialized object headers instead of expected arrays.
• Enable WordPress audit logging to capture updated_post_meta and add_post_meta events tied to the vulnerable key.
• Correlate web server access logs for POST requests to /wp-admin/post.php from contributor accounts against subsequent filesystem or process anomalies.

Monitoring Recommendations

• Alert on any PHP error referencing __wakeup, __destruct, or unserialize originating from the Betheme code path.
• Monitor filesystem integrity across the wp-content/ directory to detect unexpected file deletions or writes.
• Track contributor account creation and privilege changes, since exploitation requires an authenticated foothold.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-2694

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Betheme to a version later than 27.5.6 as soon as the vendor patch is available from the licensed ThemeForest download.
• Audit the WordPress user table for contributor, author, editor, and administrator accounts and revoke any that are not required.
• Review installed plugins and themes for known POP chains and remove or update components that expose gadget classes.

Patch Information

Muffingroup distributes Betheme through ThemeForest. Site owners should download the latest release from the ThemeForest Product Page and apply the update through the WordPress theme installer. Confirm the installed version reports higher than 27.5.6 in the WordPress theme settings after upgrade.

Workarounds

• Restrict post creation and editing capabilities by removing the contributor role or limiting it with a capability manager plugin.
• Deploy a web application firewall rule to block requests whose body contains serialized PHP object markers in the mfn-page-items parameter.
• Disable the Betheme theme on production hosts until the patched build is applied if contributor accounts cannot be constrained.

# Identify posts containing suspicious serialized payloads in the vulnerable meta key
wp db query "SELECT post_id, LEFT(meta_value, 80) AS preview \
  FROM wp_postmeta \
  WHERE meta_key = 'mfn-page-items' \
    AND meta_value LIKE 'O:%';"