dbcve.org
Deserialization of Untrusted DataWeakness · CWE-502

CVE-2024-2290

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
78/100
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 Advanced Ads plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 1.52.1 via deserialization of untrusted input in the 'placement_slug' parameter. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers to inject a PHP Object. 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 Advanced Ads WordPress plugin up to version 1.52.1 is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection via unsafe deserialization of the 'placement_slug' parameter. Authenticated attackers with at least advertiser-level access can inject arbitrary PHP objects. While the plugin itself lacks a POP chain for code execution, a POP chain present in other plugins or themes on the same WordPress installation could enable arbitrary file deletion, data retrieval, or remote code execution.

MitigationUpdate Advanced Ads to version 1.52.2 or later. Until patched, limit administrative access to the plugin and monitor for suspicious deserialization activity in logs.

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/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. Identify Advanced Ads plugin installation and version
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and locate Advanced Ads, or check the plugin file header in wp-content/plugins/advanced-ads/advanced-ads.php for the 'Version' comment
    Affected if The plugin is installed and the version is 1.52.1 or lower
  2. Confirm vulnerability is in the placement_slug parameter handling
    The flaw exists in how the plugin processes the 'placement_slug' parameter during ad placement operations - this is a code-level issue; the vulnerability exists if the plugin version is <= 1.52.1
    Affected if The plugin version is 1.52.1 or below and the plugin is active
  3. Verify user access levels to the plugin
    Review WordPress user roles to determine if any accounts have 'advertiser' level access or higher (these roles have access to ad placement functionality where the vulnerable parameter is processed)
    Affected if There are users with advertiser-level or higher access who can interact with the plugin's placement features
  4. Assess POP chain potential from other plugins/themes
    Examine other installed plugins and the active theme for known PHP unserialize-basedPOP chains that could be chained with this object injection vulnerability
    Affected if Other plugins or the theme contain exploitable unserialize() calls that could form a POP chain for code execution

A user is affected if Advanced Ads version 1.52.1 or lower is installed, the plugin is active, and there are users with at least advertiser-level access to the plugin's placement functionality.

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 Advanced Ads to version 1.52.2 or later. Until patched, limit administrative access to the plugin and monitor for suspicious deserialization activity in logs.

Recommended fix High confidence

Advanced Ads version 1.52.2 or later

  1. Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. Locate the Advanced Ads plugin
  4. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to update to the latest version
  5. Alternatively, navigate to Plugins > Add New > Upload and upload a fresh copy of version 1.52.2 or later from wordpress.org/plugins/advanced-ads/
  6. After updating, verify the new version number in the plugins list

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
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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-2024-2290 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