dbcve.org
Deserialization of Untrusted DataWeakness · CWE-502

CVE-2024-2693

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-04-09
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 Link Whisper Free plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 0.7.1 via deserialization of untrusted input of the 'mfn-page-items' post meta value. 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 Link Whisper Free WordPress plugin <= 0.7.1 is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection via unsafe deserialization of the 'mfn-page-items' post meta value. Authenticated attackers with contributor-level or higher access can inject arbitrary PHP objects. While the plugin itself lacks a POP chain, a malicious actor could exploit this if other plugins or themes on the target system provide a POP chain for file deletion, data exfiltration, or RCE.

MitigationUpdate Link Whisper Free to the latest version beyond 0.7.1; audit and remove unnecessary plugins/themes that could provide a POP chain; enforce least-privilege user roles.

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. Confirm Link Whisper Free plugin installation and version
    Navigate to WordPress admin > Plugins and locate Link Whisper Free in the plugin list. Check the version number displayed under the plugin name. Alternatively, inspect the plugin header in /wp-content/plugins/link-whisper-free/plugin.php or check the version in the plugin's main file.
    Affected if The installed version is 0.7.1 or lower.
  2. Inspect the mfn-page-items post meta value
    Query the WordPress database for post meta entries with meta_key = 'mfn-page-items'. Run: SELECT post_id, meta_value FROM wp_postmeta WHERE meta_key = 'mfn-page-items'; (wp_ prefix may vary). Use a tool like phpMyAdmin or WP-CLI: wp post meta list --meta_key=mfn-page-items
    Affected if Any posts contain the 'mfn-page-items' meta key with serialized PHP data.
  3. Verify authenticated user roles with contributor-level or higher access
    Check WordPress user roles in admin > Users. Look for users assigned Contributor, Author, Editor, or Administrator roles. Query database: SELECT user_id, meta_value FROM wp_usermeta WHERE meta_key = 'wp_capabilities'; (wp_ prefix may vary).
    Affected if There are users with Contributor, Author, or Editor roles, or any user beyond Administrator who can access the plugin.

You are affected if Link Whisper Free version 0.7.1 or lower is installed AND the 'mfn-page-items' post meta exists in the database AND contributor-level or higher users exist on the site.

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 Link Whisper Free to the latest version beyond 0.7.1; audit and remove unnecessary plugins/themes that could provide a POP chain; enforce least-privilege user roles.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Version 0.7.2 or later

  1. 1. Navigate to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. 2. Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. 3. Locate Link Whisper Free in the plugin list
  4. 4. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to upgrade to the latest version
  5. 5. Alternatively, download the latest version from the WordPress plugin repository and upload via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
  6. 6. Verify the update completed successfully and the plugin is now at version 0.7.2 or higher

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,440
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,304.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2024-2693 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