Deserialization of Untrusted DataWeakness · CWE-502

CVE-2025-69301

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-02-20
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 ThemeGoods PhotoMe photome allows Object Injection.This issue affects PhotoMe: from n/a through <= 5.6.11.

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 ThemeGoods PhotoMe plugin allows remote attackers to inject malicious PHP objects via unserialize() on untrusted data. This object injection can potentially lead to remote code execution if suitable 'gadget chains' exist in the application or loaded libraries.

MitigationUpdate PhotoMe to the latest patched version immediately. If no update is available, disable the plugin and review the codebase for insecure use of unserialize() - replace with json_decode() and implement strict 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
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. Locate PhotoMe plugin files
    Search your web server filesystem for directories named 'photome', 'PhotoMe', or 'tg-photome' within your CMS or theme plugins directory. Common paths include /wp-content/plugins/, /sites/all/modules/, or within theme directories.
    Affected if The plugin directory exists on the server
  2. Identify the installed version
    Open the main plugin file (typically index.php, main.php, or a dedicated version file within the PhotoMe directory) and locate the version declaration comment or variable. Compare this version number to any official changelogs or release notes from ThemeGoods.
    Affected if The version cannot be determined or is older than the patched version
  3. Find insecure unserialize calls
    Within the PhotoMe plugin directory, search all PHP files for the pattern 'unserialize(' using grep, a file search tool, or manual code review. Examine each occurrence to determine if the data being deserialized originates from user input (GET, POST, COOKIE, or request parameters).
    Affected if Code uses unserialize() on data that comes directly from user requests without prior validation
  4. Verify the vulnerable endpoint is accessible
    Review the PHP files containing insecure unserialize() calls to identify the HTTP endpoint or function that receives the untrusted input. Confirm this endpoint is accessible via the web application (not restricted by authentication or firewall rules).
    Affected if The endpoint handling untrusted deserialized data is publicly accessible

You are affected if the PhotoMe plugin is installed, uses an unpatched version, and contains unserialize() calls on user-supplied data that is reachable from your application.

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 PhotoMe to the latest patched version immediately. If no update is available, disable the plugin and review the codebase for insecure use of unserialize() - replace with json_decode() and implement strict input validation.

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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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-2025-69301 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
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