PuzzlesWordPress extension · Themerex
CVE-2024-13770
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 · uneditedThe Puzzles | WP Magazine / Review with Store WordPress Theme + RTL theme for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 4.2.4 via deserialization of untrusted input 'view_more_posts' AJAX action. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to inject a PHP Object. No known POP chain is present in the vulnerable software, which means this vulnerability has no impact unless another plugin or theme containing a POP chain is installed on the site. If a POP chain is present via an additional plugin or theme installed on the target system, it may allow the attacker to perform actions like delete arbitrary files, retrieve sensitive data, or execute code depending on the POP chain present. The developer opted to remove the software from the repository, so an update is not available and it is recommended to find a replacement software.
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 confidenceThe Puzzles WordPress theme (versions up to 4.2.4) is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection via the 'view_more_posts' AJAX action, which deserializes untrusted input without validation. While no POP chain exists within the theme itself, unauthenticated attackers can inject arbitrary PHP objects that may trigger destructive chains if other vulnerable plugins or themes containing a POP chain are present on the same WordPress installation.
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
PuzzlesWordPress extension
< 4.2.5CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check if Puzzles theme is installedNavigate to wp-content/themes/ and look for a folder named 'puzzles', 'Puzzles', or similar. Alternatively, in WordPress admin go to Appearance > Themes and look for the Puzzles theme.Affected if The Puzzles theme by Themerex is present in the themes directory
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Verify the installed version of the Puzzles themeOpen the theme's style.css file located in wp-content/themes/puzzles/ and locate the 'Version:' header in the CSS comment block at the top. Compare this version number to 4.2.5.Affected if The theme version is 4.2.4 or lower (any version below 4.2.5)
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Confirm the vulnerable AJAX action existsSearch the theme files (particularly functions.php, ajax.php, or similar) for the string 'view_more_posts' to confirm the AJAX action handler is present in the theme code.Affected if The code contains a handler for the 'view_more_posts' AJAX action that performs unserialize() on user input
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Check for other plugins or themes with POP chain potentialAudit all installed plugins and themes for known deserialization vulnerabilities or PHP Object Injection flaws. Review installed plugins against known CVEs involving unserialize() or __wakeup/__destruct magic methods.Affected if Other vulnerable plugins or themes containing a POP chain are installed alongside the vulnerable Puzzles theme
You are affected if the Puzzles theme version is below 4.2.5 AND your WordPress installation contains at least one other plugin or theme with a POP chain that could be triggered via the PHP Object Injection in this theme.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped4.2.5
Since the theme has been removed from the WordPress repository with no patch available, the recommended remediation is to immediately remove the vulnerable Puzzles theme and replace it with an actively maintained alternative. Additionally, audit all other installed plugins and themes for deserialization vulnerabilities or POP chains that could be triggered.
- 1. Identify all sites using the Puzzles theme for WordPress.
- 2. Since the developer has removed the software from the repository and no patch is available, plan to migrate to an alternative WordPress theme.
- 3. Select a reputable, actively maintained theme from the WordPress repository or a trusted vendor.
- 4. Before removing the Puzzles theme, backup the WordPress database and files.
- 5. Install and configure the replacement theme.
- 6. Verify that all site functionality works correctly with the new theme.
- 7. Remove the Puzzles theme from the WordPress installation entirely.
- 8. If other plugins or themes with known POP chains are installed, consider removing them or ensuring they are up to date to minimize additional attack surface.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Puzzles
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-13770 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-13770 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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