dbcve.org
Deserialization of Untrusted DataWeakness · CWE-502

CVE-2026-1426

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-02-18
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
The Advanced AJAX Product Filters plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 3.1.9.6 via deserialization of untrusted input in the shortcode_check function within the Live Composer compatibility layer. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Author-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. Note: This vulnerability requires the Live Composer plugin to also be installed and active.

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 Advanced AJAX Product Filters plugin for WordPress has a PHP Object Injection vulnerability in the shortcode_check function within its Live Composer compatibility layer. The flaw stems from deserialization of untrusted input without proper validation. Exploitation requires both authentication with Author-level access or higher AND the Live Composer plugin to be active. Since no POP chain exists in the vulnerable plugin itself, the actual impact depends on other installed plugins or themes containing a usable POP chain.

MitigationUpgrade to version 3.1.9.7 or later. If unable to upgrade immediately, disable the Live Composer compatibility layer or remove the Live Composer plugin if not required. Audit other installed plugins/themes for potential POP chains that could be chained with this vulnerability.

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 Advanced AJAX Product Filters plugin is installed
    Go to WordPress admin > Plugins and look for 'Advanced AJAX Product Filters' or check the wp-content/plugins directory for folder named 'ajax-product-filters' or similar
    Affected if Plugin is not installed or not present in the system
  2. Check the installed version of Advanced AJAX Product Filters
    In WordPress admin > Plugins, find the plugin and view the version number under the plugin name; alternatively check the main plugin file for a version constant
    Affected if Version is lower than 3.1.9.7 (vulnerable versions)
  3. Determine if Live Composer plugin is active
    In WordPress admin > Plugins, check if 'Live Composer' plugin is installed and activated; or query the wp_options table for option_name = 'active_plugins' and check for 'live-composer' entry
    Affected if Live Composer plugin is active and running
  4. Verify presence of Author-level or higher user account
    Check WordPress user roles at Users > All Users or query wp_usermeta table for user_level >= 2 (Author, Editor, Admin); also check for any existing user accounts with Author role or higher
    Affected if At least one user account with Author-level access or higher exists in the system

System is affected if Advanced AJAX Product Filters version is below 3.1.9.7, Live Composer is active, and at least one Author-level user account exists in WordPress.

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 version 3.1.9.7 or later. If unable to upgrade immediately, disable the Live Composer compatibility layer or remove the Live Composer plugin if not required. Audit other installed plugins/themes for potential POP chains that could be chained with this vulnerability.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest version beyond 3.1.9.6 (verify on wordpress.org plugins directory)

  1. Update the Advanced AJAX Product Filters plugin to the latest available version beyond 3.1.9.6
  2. Review installed plugins and themes for any that contain POP chains that could be leveraged through this deserialization vulnerability
  3. If the Live Composer plugin is not required, consider deactivating it to eliminate the attack vector
  4. Ensure users have only the minimum required privileges (Author-level or lower for this vulnerability)
  5. Monitor for any suspicious activity, particularly file modifications or data exfiltration

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,840
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,544.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-1426 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2026-1426 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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