Overview
The cybersecurity world is in a constant state of flux with new vulnerabilities being discovered regularly. One such vulnerability that has been identified recently is CVE-2025-48101, a high-risk deserialization of untrusted data vulnerability. This flaw is located in the popular WordPress plugin, Constant Contact for WordPress. The vulnerability affects all versions of the plugin up to and including 4.1.1. Due to the widespread use of WordPress and Constant Contact, this vulnerability has the potential to impact countless businesses and individuals. The severity of this issue is highlighted by its Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) severity score of 8.8, marking it as a high-risk concern.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-48101
Severity: High – CVSS 8.8
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Constant Contact for WordPress | n/a through 4.1.1
How the Exploit Works
The exploit takes advantage of the deserialization of untrusted data vulnerability in Constant Contact for WordPress. Deserialization is the process of converting a stream of bytes back into a copy of the original object. In this case, an attacker can craft a malicious serialized object that, when deserialized by the vulnerable plugin, may result in code execution, thereby compromising the system or leading to potential data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
An attacker could potentially use a request similar to the following to exploit this vulnerability:
POST /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
action=cc_send_email&cc_email_body=...serialized_object...In the above example, the `serialized_object` is a malicious payload that, when deserialized, could result in arbitrary code execution.
Mitigation
While the plugin vendor is working on a patch to address this vulnerability, as a temporary measure, a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can be used to detect and block attempts to exploit this vulnerability. Users are also advised to refrain from clicking suspicious links or downloading suspicious attachments. Regularly updating software and plugins can also help in mitigating such vulnerabilities.
