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Deserialization of Untrusted DataWeakness · CWE-502

CVE-2026-3296

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-04-08
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
The Everest Forms plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 3.4.3 via deserialization of untrusted input from form entry metadata. This is due to the html-admin-page-entries-view.php file calling PHP's native unserialize() on stored entry meta values without passing the allowed_classes parameter. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to inject a serialized PHP object payload through any public Everest Forms form field. The payload survives sanitize_text_field() sanitization (serialization control characters are not stripped) and is stored in the wp_evf_entrymeta database table. When an administrator views entries or views an individual entry, the unsafe unserialize() call processes the stored data without class restrictions.

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 Everest Forms WordPress plugin (versions up to 3.4.3) has a PHP Object Injection vulnerability in html-admin-page-entries-view.php. The file calls PHP's unserialize() on stored entry meta values without the allowed_classes parameter, allowing unauthenticated attackers to inject malicious serialized PHP objects through any form field. The payload bypasses sanitize_text_field() sanitization and is stored in the wp_evf_entrymeta database table, triggering when administrators view entries.

MitigationUpgrade Everest Forms to version 3.4.4 or later. As an interim measure, disable the plugin until patched. The fix requires replacing the unsafe unserialize() call with json_decode() or implementing proper class allowlisting.

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. Verify Everest Forms plugin version
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and find Everest Forms, or check the plugin header in /wp-content/plugins/everest-forms/everest-forms.php for the Version comment
    Affected if The installed version is 3.4.3 or lower (any version up to and including 3.4.3)
  2. Locate the vulnerable file
    Check if the file html-admin-page-entries-view.php exists in the everest-forms plugin directory under /includes/
    Affected if The file exists in the plugin, indicating the vulnerable code path is present
  3. Confirm unserialize call in the vulnerable file
    Open html-admin-page-entries-view.php and search for 'unserialize(' to confirm it processes entry meta without allowed_classes protection
    Affected if The file contains an unserialize() call on entry meta data from the database without the allowed_classes parameter
  4. Inspect entry meta database table
    Query the wp_evf_entrymeta table (or with prefix: {prefix}_evf_entrymeta) using SQL: SELECT * FROM wp_evf_entrymeta ORDER BY meta_id DESC LIMIT 20; Look for meta_value fields containing serialized PHP objects (O:...)
    Affected if The meta_value column contains serialized strings that could contain injected PHP objects, particularly unusual O: class references
  5. Review recent form submission entries
    In WordPress admin, go to Everest Forms > Entries and review recent submissions for any unexpected or base64-encoded content in field values
    Affected if Any form entries contain suspiciously encoded or serialized-looking data that was not submitted through normal form inputs

You are affected if Everest Forms version 3.4.3 or lower is installed and the vulnerable unserialize() call in html-admin-page-entries-view.php processes entry meta data without validation.

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 Everest Forms to version 3.4.4 or later. As an interim measure, disable the plugin until patched. The fix requires replacing the unsafe unserialize() call with json_decode() or implementing proper class allowlisting.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Everest Forms version 3.4.4 or later (any version after 3.4.3)

  1. 1. Backup the WordPress database and files before making any changes
  2. 2. Update the Everest Forms plugin to the latest available version from the official WordPress plugin repository
  3. 3. If automatic updates are not enabled, manually upload the new plugin version via WordPress admin > Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
  4. 4. After update, verify the fix by checking that unserialize() calls in html-admin-page-entries-view.php now include the allowed_classes parameter
  5. 5. Review wp_evf_entrymeta table for any suspicious serialized data that may have been injected and clean if necessary
  6. 6. Monitor for any unusual admin activity or PHP object injection attempts
Caveat Minor - plugin updates rarely break forms but test critical forms in a staging environment first

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,760
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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-2026-3296 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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