dbcve.org
Play.htWordPress extension · Hammadh

CVE-2024-1772

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-03-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 3.6.4 or later.
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 Play.ht – Make Your Blog Posts Accessible With Text to Speech Audio plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 3.6.4 via deserialization of untrusted input from the play_podcast_data post meta. 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 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 Play.ht WordPress plugin up to 3.6.4 is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection via unsafe deserialization of the play_podcast_data post meta. Authenticated users with contributor-level access or higher can inject arbitrary PHP objects. Although no POP chain exists within the plugin itself, exploitation is possible if another installed plugin/theme provides one.

MitigationUpdate Play.ht plugin to version 3.6.5 or later. If unable to update immediately, deactivate the plugin. The fix requires replacing unsafe unserialize() calls with safe data handling and implementing proper input validation on the play_podcast_data meta field.

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
Play.htWordPress extension
Affected:<= 3.6.4

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 Play.ht plugin installation status
    In the WordPress admin dashboard, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and locate Play.ht in the list
    Affected if The Play.ht plugin appears in the installed plugins list
  2. Check the installed version of Play.ht
    In the Plugins list, find Play.ht and read the version number displayed beneath the plugin name
    Affected if The version listed is 3.6.4 or lower (any version up to and including 3.6.4)
  3. Inspect database for vulnerable meta key
    Query the WordPress database: SELECT * FROM wp_postmeta WHERE meta_key = 'play_podcast_data' LIMIT 5; (adjust prefix if different)
    Affected if Records with meta_key 'play_podcast_data' exist, indicating the vulnerable deserialization path has been triggered on posts
  4. Review active user accounts with elevated roles
    In WordPress admin, go to Users and note which accounts have Contributor, Author, Editor, or Administrator roles
    Affected if Any authenticated user with contributor-level access or higher exists in the system

The environment is affected if Play.ht plugin version 3.6.4 or lower is installed and active with contributor-level users present

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 a release after 3.6.4
Interim mitigation

Update Play.ht plugin to version 3.6.5 or later. If unable to update immediately, deactivate the plugin. The fix requires replacing unsafe unserialize() calls with safe data handling and implementing proper input validation on the play_podcast_data meta field.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Version 3.6.5 or later (latest stable release)

  1. Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. Find the Play.ht plugin in the list
  4. Click 'Update Now' if an update is available, or click 'Delete' and reinstall the current version if no update appears
  5. Alternatively, download the latest version from the WordPress plugin repository and upload via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
  6. After updating, navigate to Settings > Play.ht to verify the plugin is functioning correctly
  7. Ensure all users with contributor-level or higher access are trusted, as the vulnerability requires authenticated access

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

Fix this in Play.ht Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.

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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-2024-1772 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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