Deserialization of Untrusted DataWeakness · CWE-502

CVE-2025-39499

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-05-23
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability in BoldThemes Medicare medicare allows Object Injection.This issue affects Medicare: from n/a through <= 2.1.0.

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 · moderate confidence

A deserialization vulnerability in the BoldThemes Medicare WordPress theme allows attackers to inject malicious PHP objects via untrusted data. This object injection can potentially lead to remote code execution through PHP magic methods like __wakeup, __destruct, or custom gadget chains. The CVSS 9.8 score indicates trivial exploitability with catastrophic impact.

MitigationReplace all instances of unserialize() with safe JSON encoding/decoding (json_encode/json_decode), implement proper input validation and whitelist checks if deserialization is required, and update to a patched version once available.

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 BoldThemes Medicare theme is installed
    Navigate to Appearance > Themes in WordPress admin panel, or inspect wp-content/themes/ directory for 'medicare' or 'boldthemes-medicare' folder. Note the version displayed or read style.css for 'Version:' header.
    Affected if The BoldThemes Medicare theme is active or installed on the WordPress site.
  2. Locate unserialize() calls in theme code
    Search theme files for 'unserialize' using grep or file search tools: grep -r "unserialize" wp-content/themes/medicare/ or use a code search utility. Examine files containing this function call.
    Affected if Any unserialize() call exists in the theme code that processes data from external sources.
  3. Identify input sources feeding unserialize
    For each unserialize() call found, trace back the variable passed to it. Check if it originates from $_GET, $_POST, $_COOKIE, $_REQUEST, or HTTP headers without sanitization.
    Affected if Untrusted user input (GET/POST parameters, cookies, or headers) flows directly into an unserialize() call.
  4. Check accessibility of vulnerable endpoints
    Review theme files for AJAX handlers (add_action('wp_ajax_*')) or form handlers that accept and process serialized data. Test if these endpoints are reachable without authentication.
    Affected if Endpoints processing unserialize() are accessible to unauthenticated users.

Your environment is affected if the BoldThemes Medicare theme is installed and contains unserialize() calls that accept untrusted input from accessible endpoints.

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

Replace all instances of unserialize() with safe JSON encoding/decoding (json_encode/json_decode), implement proper input validation and whitelist checks if deserialization is required, and update to a patched version once available.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2025-39499 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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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