CVE-2025-2332: WordPress Export Plugin Object Injection

CVE-2025-2332 Overview

CVE-2025-2332 is a PHP Object Injection vulnerability affecting the Export All Posts, Products, Orders, Refunds & Users plugin for WordPress in all versions up to and including 2.13. The vulnerability exists due to insecure deserialization of untrusted input in the returnMetaValueAsCustomerInput function, allowing unauthenticated attackers to inject malicious PHP objects into the application.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can exploit this PHP Object Injection vulnerability to potentially delete arbitrary files, retrieve sensitive data, or execute code if a Property-Oriented Programming (POP) chain is present via additional installed plugins or themes.

Affected Products

• Export All Posts, Products, Orders, Refunds & Users plugin for WordPress versions up to and including 2.13
• WordPress installations with vulnerable plugin and additional POP chain-enabling plugins/themes
• WP Ultimate Exporter (plugin internal name)

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-03-27 - CVE-2025-2332 published to NVD
• 2025-03-27 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-2332

Vulnerability Analysis

This PHP Object Injection vulnerability (CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data) occurs within the returnMetaValueAsCustomerInput function located in the ExportExtension.php file of the wp-ultimate-exporter plugin. The function deserializes user-controlled input without proper validation, creating an opportunity for attackers to inject arbitrary PHP objects.

The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it does not require authentication to exploit. While the vulnerable plugin itself does not contain a Property-Oriented Programming (POP) chain, the presence of any additional plugin or theme on the WordPress installation that includes a POP chain could enable full exploitation. This is a common attack pattern in WordPress environments where multiple plugins interact.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability lies in the unsafe use of PHP's deserialization functions within the returnMetaValueAsCustomerInput function. The code located at line 3332 of ExportExtension.php accepts user input and passes it through deserialization without implementing proper input validation, sanitization, or integrity checks. This violates secure coding practices that mandate never trusting external input for deserialization operations.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-accessible and requires no authentication or user interaction to exploit. An attacker can craft a malicious serialized PHP object payload and submit it to the vulnerable function endpoint. The deserialization process instantiates the attacker-controlled object, and if a suitable POP chain exists within the WordPress installation, the attacker can achieve:

• Arbitrary file deletion
• Sensitive data exfiltration
• Remote code execution
• Complete site compromise

The exploitation mechanism relies on finding "gadget classes" within the WordPress environment that can be chained together during the deserialization process to perform malicious actions.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-2332

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual HTTP requests targeting the wp-ultimate-exporter plugin endpoints with serialized data payloads
• PHP error logs showing unexpected object instantiation or class not found errors
• Unexpected file modifications or deletions on the WordPress installation
• Anomalous database queries or data exfiltration patterns

Detection Strategies

• Monitor web application firewall (WAF) logs for serialized PHP object patterns in request parameters (look for O: followed by numeric values)
• Implement log analysis for requests containing base64-encoded or URL-encoded serialized data targeting plugin endpoints
• Deploy endpoint detection to identify unauthorized file system changes or code execution
• Use WordPress security plugins to scan for known vulnerable plugin versions

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging for the WordPress installation and review for deserialization-related errors
• Configure intrusion detection systems to alert on PHP object injection payload signatures
• Monitor for unexpected outbound network connections from the web server
• Implement file integrity monitoring on critical WordPress directories

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-2332

Immediate Actions Required

• Update the Export All Posts, Products, Orders, Refunds & Users plugin to a version newer than 2.13 immediately
• If patching is not immediately possible, disable or remove the vulnerable plugin until an update can be applied
• Review installed plugins and themes for potential POP chains that could be leveraged
• Audit access logs for evidence of exploitation attempts

Patch Information

A security patch addressing this vulnerability is available in the WordPress Changeset Update. WordPress administrators should update to the latest version of the plugin through the WordPress admin dashboard or by downloading directly from the WordPress plugin repository.

For technical details on the vulnerable code, refer to the WordPress Plugin Code Review. Additional vulnerability information is available from the Wordfence Vulnerability Report.

Workarounds

• Temporarily disable the Export All Posts, Products, Orders, Refunds & Users plugin if immediate patching is not feasible
• Implement web application firewall rules to block requests containing serialized PHP object patterns
• Restrict access to WordPress admin and plugin endpoints using IP allowlisting
• Remove unnecessary plugins and themes to reduce the potential POP chain attack surface

# Configuration example
# Add to .htaccess to block suspicious serialized object patterns
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
    RewriteEngine On
    RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} (O:|a:|s:)[0-9]+: [NC,OR]
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_BODY} (O:|a:|s:)[0-9]+: [NC]
    RewriteRule .* - [F,L]
</IfModule>