CVE-2025-32144: Job Board Manager Object Injection Flaw

CVE-2025-32144 Overview

CVE-2025-32144 is a PHP Object Injection vulnerability in the PickPlugins Job Board Manager WordPress plugin. The flaw stems from deserialization of untrusted data [CWE-502] and affects all plugin versions up to and including 2.1.61. An authenticated attacker with low privileges can submit crafted serialized payloads that the plugin passes to unserialize(), triggering instantiation of arbitrary PHP objects. When a suitable POP (Property-Oriented Programming) gadget chain is present in the WordPress core or other installed plugins, exploitation can escalate to remote code execution, file manipulation, or full site compromise.

Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers can achieve object injection over the network with low attack complexity, potentially leading to remote code execution and complete compromise of the WordPress site.

Affected Products

PickPlugins Job Board Manager (job-board-manager) WordPress plugin
All versions from initial release through 2.1.61
WordPress sites running the vulnerable plugin alongside gadget-chain-containing components

Discovery Timeline

2025-04-11 - CVE-2025-32144 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-32144

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in Job Board Manager's handling of serialized PHP input. The plugin calls unserialize() on data influenced by user-controlled requests without validating type, origin, or integrity. PHP deserialization automatically reconstructs objects and invokes magic methods such as __wakeup() and __destruct(), which can trigger unintended code paths.

While object injection alone does not guarantee code execution, attackers chain the primitive with POP gadgets from WordPress core, Monolog, Guzzle, or other plugins. These gadget chains commonly yield arbitrary file write, file deletion, or remote code execution. The result is full takeover of the affected WordPress installation.

The issue requires authenticated access at a low privilege level, such as a Subscriber or Contributor account. On sites permitting open registration or job seeker accounts, attackers can self-provision the required access.

Root Cause

The root cause is unsafe use of PHP's unserialize() function on attacker-controlled input [CWE-502]. The plugin does not enforce an allowlist of expected classes via the allowed_classes option, nor does it validate payload structure before deserialization.

Attack Vector

Exploitation occurs over the network through HTTP requests to plugin endpoints that accept serialized data. The attacker authenticates with a low-privileged account, submits a crafted serialized payload referencing classes available in the WordPress runtime, and triggers automatic deserialization. The malicious object then executes via magic methods during instantiation or destruction.

No synthetic exploit code is published here. Refer to the Patchstack advisory for Job Board Manager for vendor-coordinated technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-32144

Indicators of Compromise

HTTP POST requests to Job Board Manager endpoints containing serialized PHP markers such as O: (object), a: (array), or s: (string) followed by length and class name tokens.
Unexpected PHP files appearing under wp-content/uploads/ or plugin directories, particularly with recent modification timestamps.
New or modified WordPress administrator accounts not created by site operators.
Outbound network connections from the PHP-FPM or web server process to attacker-controlled infrastructure.

Detection Strategies

Inspect web server access logs for request bodies containing serialized PHP signatures targeting Job Board Manager URLs.
Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule that flags serialized object syntax in parameters bound for the plugin.
Monitor PHP error logs for __wakeup, __destruct, or class-not-found warnings that often accompany failed deserialization attempts.
Correlate authentication events for low-privileged accounts with subsequent file system or process activity on the web host.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable file integrity monitoring (FIM) across the WordPress installation, especially wp-content/plugins/job-board-manager/ and the uploads directory.
Forward web server, PHP, and WordPress audit logs to a centralized SIEM for correlation against authentication and process telemetry.
Alert on the PHP process spawning shell interpreters such as /bin/sh, bash, or python on production web hosts.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-32144

Immediate Actions Required

Update PickPlugins Job Board Manager to a version newer than 2.1.61 as soon as the vendor publishes a fix.
Audit all WordPress user accounts and remove unrecognized or stale low-privilege accounts that could be abused for authentication.
Review web server logs for serialized payloads dating back to plugin installation and investigate any matches.
Rotate WordPress administrator credentials, API keys, and database passwords if compromise is suspected.

Patch Information

Refer to the Patchstack advisory for CVE-2025-32144 for the current fixed version and vendor patch details. Apply the patched release through the WordPress plugin manager or by replacing the plugin directory contents.

Workarounds

Deactivate and remove the Job Board Manager plugin until a patched version is installed.
Restrict access to plugin endpoints with WAF rules that block serialized PHP object syntax in request parameters.
Disable open user registration, or limit new accounts to roles that cannot reach vulnerable plugin functionality.

bash

# Example WAF rule snippet (ModSecurity) to block serialized PHP objects
SecRule ARGS "@rx O:\d+:\"[A-Za-z0-9_\\\\]+\":\d+:\{" \
  "id:1003214,phase:2,deny,status:403,log,\
   msg:'Possible PHP Object Injection payload (CVE-2025-32144)'"