dbcve.org
Deserialization of Untrusted DataWeakness · CWE-502

CVE-2024-3240

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-04
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 ConvertPlug plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 3.5.25 via deserialization of untrusted input from the 'settings_encoded' attribute of the 'smile_info_bar' shortcode. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with contributor-level access and above, 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 ConvertPlug WordPress plugin up to version 3.5.25 is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection via unsafe deserialization of the 'settings_encoded' attribute in the 'smile_info_bar' shortcode. Authenticated attackers with contributor-level permissions or higher can inject arbitrary PHP objects. While no POP chain exists within the plugin itself, a POP chain from another installed plugin or theme could enable file deletion, data exfiltration, or code execution.

MitigationUpdate ConvertPlug to version 3.5.26 or later. Audit installed plugins and themes for POP chain capabilities, and restrict contributor-level access until the update is applied.

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 ConvertPlug plugin is installed
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'ConvertPlug' or 'ConvertPlug - Popups, Bars, Slides' in the list. Check if it shows as 'Active'.
    Affected if ConvertPlug is installed and active, making the vulnerable code available.
  2. Check installed ConvertPlug version
    From the Plugins list, click on the ConvertPlug plugin name to view its details, or check the plugin folder for a main file (usually index.php or similar) that contains a version constant. Compare the version number to 3.5.25.
    Affected if The installed version is 3.5.25 or lower, which contains the vulnerable deserialization code.
  3. Identify use of vulnerable shortcode
    Search your WordPress posts, pages, and custom post types for the 'smile_info_bar' shortcode. This can be done by querying the wp_posts table for '[smile_info_bar' or using a search plugin. Inspect any found shortcode for the 'settings_encoded' attribute.
    Affected if The smile_info_bar shortcode with a settings_encoded attribute is present in published content, allowing the injection point to be reachable.
  4. Confirm shortcode is accessible to authenticated users
    Review which user roles can edit content containing the smile_info_bar shortcode. Contributor-level users and above can create or edit posts. Check if any contributor-level accounts exist on the site.
    Affected if Authenticated users with contributor-level permissions or higher can create or modify content containing the malicious shortcode.

You are affected if ConvertPlug version 3.5.25 or lower is installed and active, and the smile_info_bar shortcode with settings_encoded attribute is used in any accessible content.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update ConvertPlug to version 3.5.26 or later. Audit installed plugins and themes for POP chain capabilities, and restrict contributor-level access until the update is applied.

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
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,224.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-3240 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2024-3240 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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