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Deserialization of Untrusted DataWeakness · CWE-502

CVE-2024-4733

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-16
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
81/100
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 ShiftController Employee Shift Scheduling plugin is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection via deserialization of untrusted input via the `hc3_session`-cookie in versions up to, and including, 4.9.57. This makes it possible for an authenticated attacker with contributor access-level or 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 ShiftController plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection via deserialization of untrusted input from the `hc3_session` cookie in versions up to 4.9.57. An authenticated attacker with contributor-level access or higher can inject PHP objects. While no POP chain exists within the plugin itself, additional plugins or themes on the target system could provide one, enabling arbitrary file deletion, data exfiltration, or code execution.

MitigationUpdate the ShiftController plugin to a version beyond 4.9.57. If no update is available, modify the code to avoid using unserialize() on cookie data—sanitize or switch to safe serialization formats like JSON. Review installed plugins and themes to minimize POP chain opportunities.

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/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 ShiftController plugin is installed
    Check your WordPress plugins directory for the ShiftController plugin, or use WP-CLI: wp plugin list --name=shiftcontroller
    Affected if The plugin is present in the WordPress installation
  2. Determine installed ShiftController version
    Check the plugin header in shiftcontroller.php for the Version field, or use WP-CLI: wp plugin get shiftcontroller --format=json
    Affected if Version is 4.9.57 or lower
  3. Identify if hc3_session cookie handling is active
    Search the plugin code for usage of hc3_session cookie and unserialize() calls. Inspect browser cookies for an hc3_session cookie present on the site.
    Affected if The plugin deserializes data from the hc3_session cookie using unserialize()
  4. Confirm contributor-level or higher user roles exist
    Review WordPress user roles and existing user accounts. Check if contributor, author, editor, or admin users exist who can authenticate.
    Affected if At least one user with contributor-level or higher access exists on the site
  5. Audit other plugins and themes for POP chain potential
    Review installed plugins and themes for known POP chain vulnerabilities or unserialize() usage on user-controlled data. Use wp plugin list and wp theme list to enumerate.
    Affected if Additional plugins or themes with deserialization POP chains are installed alongside ShiftController

You are affected if ShiftController version 4.9.57 or lower is installed AND the hc3_session cookie deserialization is active, especially with contributor-level users or additional vulnerable plugins 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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update the ShiftController plugin to a version beyond 4.9.57. If no update is available, modify the code to avoid using unserialize() on cookie data—sanitize or switch to safe serialization formats like JSON. Review installed plugins and themes to minimize POP chain opportunities.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

ShiftController Employee Shift Scheduling plugin version 4.9.58 or latest stable release

  1. 1. Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard with administrator privileges
  2. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. 3. Locate the 'ShiftController Employee Shift Scheduling' plugin
  4. 4. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to upgrade to the latest patched version
  5. 5. Alternatively, download the latest version from the WordPress plugin repository and upload it manually
  6. 6. After updating, verify the plugin is running on version 4.9.58 or later
  7. 7. Consider rotating session cookies and reviewing user accounts with contributor-level access

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2024-4733 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
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