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Theme Editor - PHP Object Injection (CVE-2022-2440)

CVE-2022-2440

Vulnerability CVE-2022-2440 PLUGIN theme-editor HIGH

The Theme Editor plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to deserialization of untrusted input via the 'images_array' parameter in versions up to, and including 2.8. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with administrative privileges to call files using a PHAR wrapper that will deserialize and call arbitrary PHP Objects that can be used to perform a variety of malicious actions granted a POP chain is also present. It also requires that the attacker is successful in uploading a file with the serialized payload.

CVE-2022-2440

HIGH CVSS 7.2 Published 2024-08-29 Updated 2026-06-17
AI Risk Elevated (74/100) Active Exploit: No strong signal Published Exploit: No public exploit references Priority: P3 Priority
Severity Band HIGH
CVSS Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Affected Components 2
Reference Links 3
AI Risk Engine Elevated (74/100)
Exploitability High
Active Exploitation No strong signal
Published Exploit Status No public exploit references

Threat Timeline

  1. 2024-08-29 CVE published and first recorded in the threat feed.
  2. 2026-06-17 Record updated with latest vulnerability metadata.
  3. 2026-09-13 AI technical context refreshed for mitigation and impact guidance.
  4. Now Monitoring for follow-up changes, linked references, and new related CVEs.

AI Context

Machine-generated threat intelligence

AI Updated 5 days ago

AI enriched 5 days ago (2026-09-13 14:21 UTC)

Technical Summary

The Theme Editor plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to deserialization of untrusted input via the 'images_array' parameter in versions up to, and including 2.8. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with administrative privileges to call files using a PHAR wrapper that will deserialize and call arbitrary PHP Objects that can be used to perform a variety of malicious actions granted a POP chain is also present. It also requires that the attacker is successful in uploading a file with…

Potential Impact

Severity is HIGH (CVSS 7.2). Depending on deployment context, affected components may be exposed to unauthorized actions or data integrity risk.

Exploitability Assessment

Exploitability is assessed as High based on remote code execution potential.

Primary risk drivers: remote code execution potential

Mitigation Recommendations

Validate affected product versions, prioritize patching, and monitor references for vendor remediation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, apply compensating controls and limit exposure of vulnerable surfaces.

Detection & Monitoring

Track authentication anomalies, unexpected file writes, and suspicious plugin API activity around affected components.

Business Impact Lens

AI risk score 74/100 (Elevated, High) with priority P3 Priority. Prioritize remediation where affected components process customer data, admin sessions, or Internet-exposed workflows.

Affected Products

Theme Editor PLUGIN · theme-editor Affected range not specified Fixed version not specified
Theme Editor THEME · theme-editor Affected: < 2.9 Fixed in: 2.9

References

What to do about this

Patch promptly The consequence is significant even where an attacker needs a foothold first.

Fix it

Update Theme Editor to 2.9 or later.

That is the complete fix. Everything below is what protects you in the meantime.

Cannot update today? Request / payload inspection (WAF) in Hack Halt ProSecure blocks this class of attack before WordPress processes the request.

Inspect request parameters and bodies for injection, traversal and file-inclusion payloads, and refuse the request rather than logging it.

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Not sure if you are affected?

Scan your site to see whether it runs Theme Editor, and at which version.

Free, no installation, no account. It reads what your site already publishes, then tells you which plugins carry known vulnerabilities and what to do about each one.

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Am I affected by this vulnerability?

You are affected if your site runs Theme Editor. Versions below 2.9 are vulnerable; that release and later are not.

How do I fix it?

Update Theme Editor to version 2.9 or later. That is the complete fix. Until you can update, Request / payload inspection (WAF) in Hack Halt ProSecure contains this class of attack at the request layer.

What can an attacker actually do?

This is a PHP Object Injection flaw. An attacker who exploits it can construct objects the application never intended, often reaching code execution.

WordPress security that blocks attacks before they land.

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