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Deserialization of Untrusted DataWeakness · CWE-502

CVE-2024-11501

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-07
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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 Gallery plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 1.3 via deserialization of untrusted input from wd_gallery_$id parameter. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to inject a PHP Object. No known POP chain is present in the vulnerable software. 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 Gallery plugin for WordPress versions up to 1.3 is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection through deserialization of untrusted input via the wd_gallery_$id parameter. Authenticated attackers with Contributor-level or higher permissions can inject arbitrary PHP objects. While no POP chain exists within the plugin itself, a chain from another installed plugin or theme could enable remote code execution, file deletion, or data exfiltration.

MitigationUpdate the Gallery plugin to a version beyond 1.3 when available; if no patch exists, disable the plugin. Additionally, audit installed plugins and themes for POP chain vulnerabilities that could be chained with this flaw.

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

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
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/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. Verify Gallery plugin installation and version
    Navigate to WordPress admin > Plugins > Installed Plugins. Look for 'Gallery' plugin or similar gallery-related plugin. Note the installed version number displayed next to the plugin name. Compare this version against the affected range (1.3 and below).
    Affected if The Gallery plugin is installed with version 1.3 or lower.
  2. Confirm Contributor-level or higher user access exists
    In WordPress admin, go to Users > All Users. Review the roles assigned to users. Identify any users with Contributor, Author, Editor, or Administrator roles, as these roles have the required permission level to exploit this vulnerability.
    Affected if There exists at least one user account with Contributor-level permissions or higher.
  3. Inspect for the vulnerable wd_gallery_$id parameter usage
    Review the plugin's PHP files (particularly those handling shortcodes or AJAX requests) for usage of the wd_gallery_$id parameter. Search for unserialize() calls that process this parameter without proper sanitization. Check page source on gallery-enabled posts/pages for any gallery shortcode containing an ID parameter.
    Affected if The plugin processes the wd_gallery_$id parameter through unserialize() without validation.
  4. Audit other plugins and themes for POP chain potential
    Review all installed plugins and active theme for known PHP Object Injection vulnerabilities or magic methods (__wakeup, __destruct, __toString, __get) that could form a POP chain. Check publicly disclosed CVEs for installed plugins.
    Affected if Another installed plugin or the active theme contains a POP chain that could be chained with CVE-2024-11501.

A user is affected if the Gallery plugin version 1.3 or lower is installed AND there is at least one user with Contributor-level access AND another plugin or theme provides a usable POP chain for code execution.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update the Gallery plugin to a version beyond 1.3 when available; if no patch exists, disable the plugin. Additionally, audit installed plugins and themes for POP chain vulnerabilities that could be chained with this flaw.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest available version of the Gallery plugin (newer than 1.3)

  1. 1. Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard with Administrator access.
  2. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins.
  3. 3. Locate the 'Gallery' plugin in the plugin list.
  4. 4. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to update the plugin to the latest version.
  5. 5. Alternatively, navigate to Dashboard > Updates to check and install all available updates.
  6. 6. After updating, verify the plugin is functioning correctly on the site.

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,970
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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-2024-11501 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