dbcve.org
Deserialization of Untrusted DataWeakness · CWE-502

CVE-2026-3017

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-04-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
78/100
Remediation priority · High
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 Smart Post Show – Post Grid, Post Carousel & Slider, and List Category Posts plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 3.0.12 via deserialization of untrusted input in the import_shortcodes() function. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Administrator-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.

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 Smart Post Show WordPress plugin is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in the import_shortcodes() function due to unsafe deserialization of untrusted input. While the vulnerability requires Administrator-level access and no POP chain exists within the plugin itself, it can be weaponized if other plugins or themes containing a POP chain are installed, potentially enabling arbitrary file deletion, data exfiltration, or code execution.

MitigationUpdate the plugin to version 3.0.13 or later. Additionally, audit the WordPress installation for third-party plugins or themes that may contain exploitable POP chains, as the vulnerability has no impact without such chains present.

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/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 Smart Post Show plugin is installed
    Navigate to WordPress admin > Plugins and look for 'Smart Post Show' in the list of installed plugins. Note whether it is active or inactive.
    Affected if The plugin is installed and active in the WordPress environment.
  2. Check installed plugin version
    In Plugins list, click on the plugin details or view the plugin header comment in the main plugin file to identify the current version number. Compare this version against the fixed version 3.0.13.
    Affected if The installed version is lower than 3.0.13 (e.g., 3.0.12, 3.0.10, etc.).
  3. Verify Administrator access exists
    Review WordPress user roles to confirm whether Administrator-level accounts exist on the site. The import_shortcodes() function requires Administrator-level privileges to be triggered.
    Affected if Administrator-level users or privileges are present in the WordPress installation.
  4. Audit for third-party POP chain sources
    Review all installed plugins and themes for known or suspected PHP Object Injection POP chains. Check for plugins with known deserialization vulnerabilities (e.g., WooCommerce,大众Press, popular slider plugins) or themes that include vulnerable unserialize() calls.
    Affected if Other plugins or themes containing exploitable POP chains are installed alongside Smart Post Show.
  5. Check import_shortcodes function accessibility
    Locate the import_shortcodes() function in the plugin files. Determine if it can be reached via an AJAX hook or admin page without additional security checks.
    Affected if The import_shortcodes() function is exposed and callable by Administrator users.

You are affected if Smart Post Show plugin versions below 3.0.13 are installed, Administrator access is available, and other plugins or themes with POP chains are present to weaponize the unsafe deserialization.

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

Update the plugin to version 3.0.13 or later. Additionally, audit the WordPress installation for third-party plugins or themes that may contain exploitable POP chains, as the vulnerability has no impact without such chains present.

Recommended fix High confidence

Version 3.0.13 or higher

  1. Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. Locate the 'Smart Post Show – Post Grid, Post Carousel & Slider' or 'List Category Posts' plugin
  4. Click 'Update Now' to install the latest version, or manually download from wordpress.org/plugins and upload the updated plugin

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-3017 — 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-2026-3017 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