CVE-2024-52430: Lis Video Gallery Object Injection Flaw

CVE-2024-52430 Overview

CVE-2024-52430 is a critical PHP Object Injection vulnerability affecting the Lis Video Gallery WordPress plugin. This vulnerability stems from insecure deserialization of untrusted data, allowing unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary PHP objects into the application. The vulnerability is classified as CWE-502 (Deserialization of Untrusted Data) and can lead to severe consequences including remote code execution, data manipulation, or denial of service depending on the available gadget chains in the WordPress installation.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can exploit this PHP Object Injection vulnerability to potentially achieve remote code execution on affected WordPress installations running Lis Video Gallery plugin version 0.2.1 or earlier.

Affected Products

• Lis Video Gallery WordPress Plugin version 0.2.1 and earlier
• All WordPress installations with the vulnerable lis-video-gallery plugin installed

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-11-18 - CVE-2024-52430 published to NVD
• 2026-04-01 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-52430

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability exists due to improper handling of serialized data within the Lis Video Gallery plugin. When the plugin processes user-supplied input without proper validation, attackers can craft malicious serialized PHP objects that, when deserialized by the application, execute arbitrary code or trigger other malicious behaviors.

PHP Object Injection vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous in WordPress environments because the platform and its numerous plugins often contain "magic methods" (such as __wakeup(), __destruct(), or __toString()) that can be exploited as part of a Property Oriented Programming (POP) chain. When a malicious serialized object is deserialized, these magic methods execute automatically, potentially allowing an attacker to chain together existing code to achieve remote code execution.

The vulnerability requires no authentication and can be exploited remotely over the network, making it highly accessible to attackers. No user interaction is required for exploitation.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the use of PHP's unserialize() function on untrusted user input without proper validation or sanitization. The plugin fails to verify the integrity and origin of serialized data before processing it, allowing attackers to inject arbitrary objects into the application's object graph.

Secure coding practices dictate that serialized data from untrusted sources should never be deserialized directly. Instead, developers should use safer data interchange formats like JSON, or implement strict allowlists of classes that can be deserialized using PHP 7.0+ allowed_classes option.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability is network-based, requiring no privileges or user interaction. An attacker can craft a malicious HTTP request containing a specially crafted serialized PHP object payload targeting the vulnerable plugin endpoint.

When the vulnerable code path processes this input, the malicious serialized data is passed to PHP's unserialize() function. The attacker's payload is designed to instantiate specific classes that contain exploitable magic methods. By chaining together properties and method calls across multiple classes (POP chain), the attacker can achieve arbitrary code execution, file manipulation, or other malicious outcomes.

For detailed technical information about this vulnerability, refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-52430

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual HTTP requests to WordPress plugin endpoints containing serialized PHP data (identifiable by strings starting with O:, a:, or s:)
• Web server logs showing requests with base64-encoded payloads targeting the lis-video-gallery plugin
• Unexpected PHP process spawning or system command execution originating from the web server
• Modified files within the WordPress installation directory with recent timestamps

Detection Strategies

• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block serialized PHP object patterns in request parameters
• Implement file integrity monitoring to detect unauthorized changes to WordPress core files, plugins, and themes
• Monitor web server access logs for suspicious requests containing serialized data patterns or targeting known vulnerable plugin endpoints
• Enable PHP error logging and monitor for deserialization-related warnings or errors

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure SIEM alerts for unusual outbound connections from the web server that may indicate successful exploitation
• Monitor WordPress user accounts for unauthorized privilege changes or new administrator accounts
• Implement runtime application self-protection (RASP) to detect and block deserialization attacks in real-time
• Regularly audit installed WordPress plugins against vulnerability databases

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-52430

Immediate Actions Required

• Immediately deactivate and remove the Lis Video Gallery plugin (lis-video-gallery) from all WordPress installations
• Conduct a security audit of the affected WordPress site to check for signs of compromise
• Review web server logs for any suspicious activity targeting the vulnerable plugin
• Consider implementing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to block serialized PHP object injection attempts

Patch Information

As of the last NVD update, no official patch has been released for this vulnerability. The affected versions include Lis Video Gallery version 0.2.1 and all earlier versions. Site administrators should remove the vulnerable plugin entirely until a patched version becomes available. Monitor the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for updates on remediation.

Workarounds

• Remove the Lis Video Gallery plugin completely from WordPress installations until a security patch is available
• Implement WAF rules to block HTTP requests containing serialized PHP data patterns targeting WordPress plugin endpoints
• If plugin functionality is required, consider migrating to an alternative video gallery plugin that is actively maintained and security-audited
• Restrict access to WordPress admin and plugin directories using IP allowlisting where feasible

# WordPress CLI command to deactivate the vulnerable plugin
wp plugin deactivate lis-video-gallery --path=/var/www/html/wordpress

# Remove the plugin entirely
wp plugin delete lis-video-gallery --path=/var/www/html/wordpress

# Verify plugin removal
wp plugin list --path=/var/www/html/wordpress | grep lis-video-gallery