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Deserialization of Untrusted DataWeakness · CWE-502

CVE-2025-49386

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-11-06
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
Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability in Scott Reilly Preserve Code Formatting preserve-code-formatting allows Object Injection.This issue affects Preserve Code Formatting: from n/a through <= 4.0.1.

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 Preserve Code Formatting WordPress plugin (versions <= 4.0.1) by Scott Reilly contains a PHP Object Injection vulnerability due to unsafe deserialization of untrusted data. Attackers can potentially inject malicious PHP objects into the application, leading to remote code execution or other attacks depending on available gadget chains.

MitigationUpgrade to the latest version of Preserve Code Formatting plugin. If no update is available, disable the plugin until a patched version is released. Review and sanitize any user-supplied data before PHP unserialize() calls.

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. Locate the Preserve Code Formatting plugin installation
    Check the wp-content/plugins/ directory for a folder named 'preserve-code-formatting' or similar. In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'Preserve Code Formatting' by Scott Reilly.
    Affected if The plugin is not found in the WordPress installation
  2. Identify the installed plugin version
    In WordPress admin, find the plugin in Plugins > Installed Plugins and read the version number from the plugin description. Alternatively, open the main plugin PHP file (often preserve-code-formatting.php) and look for the 'Version' header comment at the top of the file.
    Affected if The installed version is 4.0.1 or lower (any version <= 4.0.1)
  3. Verify the vulnerable code exists
    Search the plugin directory for PHP files containing 'unserialize(' calls. Look for any unserialize() function calls that process data from HTTP request parameters, POST/GET data, or user-controlled sources.
    Affected if The plugin code contains unserialize() calls handling untrusted input, indicating the vulnerable code path is present
  4. Confirm plugin is active
    In WordPress admin Plugins page, check whether Preserve Code Formatting is currently activated. Only an active plugin can process malicious deserialization requests.
    Affected if The plugin is installed, vulnerable version (<=4.0.1), and currently active

You are affected if Preserve Code Formatting plugin by Scott Reilly is installed at version 4.0.1 or lower and the plugin is active, with vulnerable unserialize() calls present in the code.

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 the latest version of Preserve Code Formatting plugin. If no update is available, disable the plugin until a patched version is released. Review and sanitize any user-supplied data before PHP unserialize() calls.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest available version of Preserve Code Formatting plugin (version > 4.0.1)

  1. Check your WordPress site for the installed version of the 'Preserve Code Formatting' plugin (preserve-code-formatting) by Scott Reilly
  2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins in your WordPress admin dashboard
  3. If the current version is <= 4.0.1, update the plugin to the latest available version from the WordPress plugin repository
  4. After updating, verify the new version number to confirm the update was successful
  5. Review the plugin's changelog or the vulnerability disclosure for any specific fixed version mentioned
  6. Test that the plugin still functions correctly with your site's code formatting needs

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
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.

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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-2025-49386 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