Deserialization of Untrusted DataWeakness · CWE-502

CVE-2025-53303

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-09-09
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 ThemeMove ThemeMove Core thememove-core allows Object Injection.This issue affects ThemeMove Core: from n/a through <= 1.4.2.

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 PHP Object Injection vulnerability exists in ThemeMove Core theme due to unsafe deserialization (likely unserialize()) of untrusted data. This allows attackers to inject malicious PHP objects, potentially achieving remote code execution if suitable 'pop chain' classes are available in the WordPress environment.

MitigationUpdate ThemeMove Core to the latest patched version if available; otherwise, replace unsafe deserialization calls (unserialize()) with safe alternatives like json_decode() and implement proper input validation.

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. Identify if ThemeMove Core theme is installed
    Check for the theme directory at wp-content/themes/thememove-core or wp-content/themes/thememove (also check parent theme folders). Use command: ls -la wp-content/themes/ | grep -i thememove
    Affected if ThemeMove Core theme files exist in the WordPress themes directory
  2. Determine the installed ThemeMove Core version
    Locate style.css in the theme folder and read the 'Version:' header, or check theme.json for the version field. Example: cat wp-content/themes/thememove-core/style.css | grep -i version
    Affected if Version is unknown, unlisted, or falls within a vulnerable range compared to the patched version
  3. Locate unsafe deserialization calls in the theme
    Search the theme files for unserialize() function usage. Use: grep -rn "unserialize" wp-content/themes/thememove-core/ (or thememove parent folder)
    Affected if Any unserialize() call is found that processes data without prior sanitization
  4. Determine if the deserialization input is user-controlled
    Trace the data flow from the unserialize() call backward to identify if it originates from $_GET, $_POST, $_COOKIE, or other HTTP request parameters. Examine the calling function and its input sources
    Affected if The unserialize() call processes data derived from HTTP request parameters without validation
  5. Check for potential pop chain classes in the environment
    Search for known magic methods (__wakeup, __destruct, __toString) in plugin/theme code that could form a gadget chain. Use: grep -rn "__wakeup\|__destruct\|__toString" wp-content/plugins/ wp-content/themes/
    Affected if Pop chain capable classes exist in the WordPress environment that could enable RCE when combined with the injection point

You are affected if ThemeMove Core theme is installed and its version contains unsafe unserialize() calls that process untrusted user input, especially if pop chain classes are present in the environment.

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 ThemeMove Core to the latest patched version if available; otherwise, replace unsafe deserialization calls (unserialize()) with safe alternatives like json_decode() and implement proper input validation.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,330
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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-2025-53303 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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