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Deserialization of Untrusted DataWeakness · CWE-502

CVE-2025-12844

HIGH · 7.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-11-13
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
75/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable

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 AI Engine plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection via PHAR Deserialization in all versions up to, and including, 3.1.8 via deserialization of untrusted input in the 'rest_simpleTranscribeAudio' and 'rest_simpleVisionQuery' functions. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to inject a PHP Object. No known POP chain is present in the vulnerable software, which means this vulnerability has no impact unless another plugin or theme containing a POP chain is installed on the site. If a POP chain is present via an additional plugin or theme installed on the target system, it may allow the attacker to perform actions like delete arbitrary files, retrieve sensitive data, or execute code depending on the POP chain present.

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 AI Engine WordPress plugin versions up to 3.1.8 insecurely deserializes untrusted input in the rest_simpleTranscribeAudio and rest_simpleVisionQuery REST API endpoints. Authenticated attackers with Subscriber-level access can inject PHP objects via PHAR deserialization. While no POP chain exists in the plugin itself, exploitation becomes possible when other plugins or themes containing a POP chain are present on the target system.

MitigationUpgrade to AI Engine version 3.1.9 or later. Until then, limit user registration and monitor for suspicious activity; the risk is higher if other plugins with POP chains (like WooCommerce, Yoast, or popular slider plugins) are installed.

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
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/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. Check AI Engine plugin version
    Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins in WordPress admin, find 'AI Engine' by Meow Apps, and note the version number. Alternatively, check the plugin file header in wp-content/plugins/ai-engine/ai-engine.php for 'Version:' value.
    Affected if The installed version is 3.1.8 or lower.
  2. Verify REST API endpoint availability
    Send a GET request to /wp-json/ai-engine/v1/transcribe and /wp-json/ai-engine/v1/vision endpoints. Check if they return a valid JSON response (even if requiring authentication).
    Affected if Endpoints return any response rather than a 404, indicating the vulnerable endpoints exist.
  3. Check if user registration allows subscribers
    In WordPress admin, go to Settings > General > 'Membership' and check if 'Anyone can register' is enabled. If enabled, note the default New User Default Role setting.
    Affected if User registration is enabled with Subscriber role available, allowing authenticated attackers to obtain the minimum required access level.
  4. Identify plugins with known POP chains
    Review installed plugins for those commonly containing POP chains: WooCommerce, Yoast SEO, Slider Revolution, Elementor, or similar popular plugins with deserialization history. Check plugin list in Plugins > Installed Plugins.
    Affected if Other plugins or themes with known PHAR deserialization POP chains are installed, making remote code execution feasible.

A user is affected if AI Engine version 3.1.8 or lower is installed AND the REST API endpoints are active AND subscribers can be registered (or existing subscribers exist), especially if other plugins with POP chains are 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

Upgrade to AI Engine version 3.1.9 or later. Until then, limit user registration and monitor for suspicious activity; the risk is higher if other plugins with POP chains (like WooCommerce, Yoast, or popular slider plugins) are installed.

Recommended fix High confidence

AI Engine plugin version 3.1.9 or later

  1. Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. Find the 'AI Engine' plugin
  4. Check if the current version is 3.1.8 or earlier
  5. If vulnerable, click 'Update Now' to upgrade to the latest version (3.1.9 or later)
  6. Alternatively, download the latest version from wordpress.org/plugins/mwai/ and upload via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
  7. After update, verify the version number reflects the patched release

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 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-2025-12844 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