dbcve.org
Shortcodes And Extra Features For Phlox ThemeWordPress extension · Averta

CVE-2023-7064

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-02
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.17.6 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The Shortcodes and extra features for Phlox theme plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 2.17.5 via deserialization of untrusted input from the vulnerable 'id' parameter in the 'auxin_template_control_importer' function. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers able to upload a separate PHAR payload as an image file to inject a PHP Object, though the action itself is available to subscribers. No POP chain is present in the vulnerable plugin. If a POP chain is present via an additional plugin or theme installed on the target system, it could allow the attacker to delete arbitrary files, retrieve sensitive data, or execute code.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The Phlox theme plugin for WordPress contains a PHP Object Injection vulnerability in the auxin_template_control_importer function. The 'id' parameter deserializes untrusted input without proper validation, allowing authenticated users with subscriber-level privileges to inject arbitrary PHP objects. While no POP chain exists within the plugin itself, objects could be injected that trigger harmful behavior if other installed plugins or themes provide a POP chain.

MitigationUpdate the plugin to a patched version beyond 2.17.5, or remove/disable the plugin if no update is available. Review installed plugins and themes for potential POP chains that could be leveraged.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Shortcodes And Extra Features For Phlox ThemeWordPress extension
Affected:< 2.17.6

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
High
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm Phlox theme plugin is installed
    Navigate to WordPress admin dashboard > Plugins. Look for 'Averta Shortcodes And Extra Features For Phlox Theme' or 'Phlox Theme' in the installed plugins list.
    Affected if The plugin appears in the installed plugins list
  2. Check installed plugin version
    In WordPress admin > Plugins, click on the plugin name to view details, or check the plugin header in its main PHP file for the Version field. Compare against the affected range: versions before 2.17.6 are vulnerable.
    Affected if The installed version is less than 2.17.6
  3. Verify subscriber-level user accounts exist
    Go to WordPress admin > Users. Review the user list to see if any accounts with 'Subscriber' role exist. Any subscriber-level user can trigger the vulnerability.
    Affected if At least one user with subscriber role or higher exists on the site
  4. Check for other plugins with POP chain potential
    Review all installed plugins and themes in the WordPress environment. Look for known vulnerable plugins that have documented POP chains (common examples include plugins with unserialize calls on user input).
    Affected if Other plugins or themes are installed that could provide a POP chain to exploit the injected objects

A site is affected if it runs Averta Shortcodes And Extra Features For Phlox Theme versions before 2.17.6 AND has at least one authenticated user with subscriber-level access or higher.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 2.17.6 or later
Fixed in 2.17.6
Interim mitigation

Update the plugin to a patched version beyond 2.17.5, or remove/disable the plugin if no update is available. Review installed plugins and themes for potential POP chains that could be leveraged.

Recommended fix High confidence

2.17.6

  1. Log in to WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. Find 'Shortcodes And Extra Features For Phlox Theme' (or 'Phlox Core' plugin)
  4. Check the current version number
  5. If the installed version is below 2.17.6, click 'Update Now' to upgrade to version 2.17.6
  6. Alternatively, navigate to Dashboard > Updates and update the plugin from there
  7. Verify the update was successful by confirming the new version number is 2.17.6 or higher

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Shortcodes And Extra Features For Phlox Theme Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,664.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-7064 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data