{"id":86161,"date":"2025-12-30T01:58:01","date_gmt":"2025-12-30T01:58:01","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","slug":"cve-2023-1405-formidable-forms-wordpress-plugin-vulnerability-allowing-php-object-injection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2023-1405-formidable-forms-wordpress-plugin-vulnerability-allowing-php-object-injection\/","title":{"rendered":"CVE-2023-1405: Formidable Forms WordPress Plugin Vulnerability Allowing PHP Object Injection<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) system has identified a significant vulnerability, CVE-2023-1405, in the Formidable Forms WordPress plugin version 6.2 and earlier. This vulnerability allows anonymous users to perform PHP Object Injection, potentially compromising system integrity and exposing sensitive data. Given the extensive use of WordPress plugins, this vulnerability is a cause for concern for administrators and users alike.<\/p>\n

Vulnerability Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n

CVE ID: CVE-2023-1405
\nSeverity: High (7.5 CVSS)
\nAttack Vector: Network
\nPrivileges Required: None
\nUser Interaction: None
\nImpact: System compromise and potential data leakage<\/p>\n

Affected Products<\/strong><\/p>\n

Product | Affected Versions<\/p>\n

Formidable Forms WordPress Plugin | Before 6.2<\/p>\n

How the Exploit Works<\/strong><\/p>\n

The vulnerability arises from the Formidable Forms WordPress plugin\u2019s insecure handling of user input. The plugin unserializes user input without proper validation, which could allow an attacker to inject malicious PHP objects. These objects, when executed, could lead to arbitrary code execution, allowing an attacker to gain unauthorized access and control over the system. Moreover, if a suitable gadget is present, the vulnerability can be exploited without any user interaction or privileges.<\/p>\n

Conceptual Example Code<\/strong><\/p>\n

Given the nature of this vulnerability, an attacker could exploit it by sending a POST request with a malicious payload. Below is a conceptual example of such a request:<\/p>\n

POST \/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php HTTP\/1.1\nHost: target.example.com\nContent-Type: application\/json\n{ \"action\": \"frm_forms_preview\", \"form\": {\"form_id\": \"1\", \"form_key\": \"form_key\", \"item_meta\": {\"0\": \"a:1:{i:0;O:8:\\\"stdClass\\\":1:{s:4:\\\"test\\\";s:15:\\\"malicious_code\\\";}}}\"}} }<\/code><\/pre>\n
In this example, the “malicious_code” represents the injected PHP object. If successful, this injection can lead to unauthorized system access.<\/p>\n
Mitigation<\/strong><\/p>\n
To mitigate this vulnerability, users are advised to immediately apply the vendor-supplied patch. If the patch cannot be applied immediately, temporary mitigation can be achieved by employing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to identify and block attempts to exploit this vulnerability.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Overview The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) system has identified a significant vulnerability, CVE-2023-1405, in the Formidable Forms WordPress plugin version 6.2 and earlier. This vulnerability allows anonymous users to perform PHP Object Injection, potentially compromising system integrity and exposing sensitive data. Given the extensive use of WordPress plugins, this vulnerability is a cause for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"vendor":[],"product":[],"attack_vector":[],"asset_type":[],"severity":[],"exploit_status":[],"class_list":["post-86161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t