Executive Summary

CVE-2026-10749 is a PHP Object Injection vulnerability in the Post Duplicator WordPress plugin affecting versions before 3.0.15. The plugin does not properly handle custom meta-data during post duplication and stores attacker-supplied serialized values without applying WordPress meta API's double-serialization protection.

This flaw allows users with Contributor-level access or higher to inject a PHP Object by creating a post with a custom field containing a raw serialized PHP object string. When the post is duplicated, this raw string is stored and later unserialized by WordPress, which instantiates the object instead of treating it as a string.

This vulnerability is classified under OWASP A8: Insecure Deserialization and CWE-502.

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Impact Analysis

If exploited, this vulnerability could allow an attacker with Contributor-level access or higher to perform PHP Object Injection, which may lead to remote code execution, arbitrary file operations, or disclosure of sensitive data.

The actual impact depends on the presence of a suitable Property-Oriented Programming (POP) chain in other installed plugins or themes that can be leveraged to execute malicious actions.

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Detection Guidance

This vulnerability can be detected by checking if the Post Duplicator WordPress plugin version is prior to 3.0.15, as those versions do not safely handle custom meta-data during post duplication.

A practical detection method involves verifying if posts with custom fields have duplicated entries containing raw serialized PHP object strings, which indicates unsafe handling of meta-data.

One way to detect exploitation attempts is to search the WordPress database for serialized PHP objects in post meta fields. For example, using a MySQL command to find suspicious serialized data:

• SELECT * FROM wp_postmeta WHERE meta_value LIKE 'O:%';

This command looks for meta values starting with 'O:', which is the prefix for serialized PHP objects, potentially indicating injected objects.

Additionally, monitoring user actions for contributors duplicating posts with custom fields can help detect attempts to exploit this vulnerability.

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Mitigation Strategies

The immediate mitigation step is to update the Post Duplicator WordPress plugin to version 3.0.15 or later, where the vulnerability has been fixed.

Until the update can be applied, restrict Contributor-level and higher users from duplicating posts or adding custom meta-data if possible.

Additionally, review and monitor the WordPress site for suspicious serialized PHP objects in post meta fields and remove any unsafe entries.

Consider auditing other installed plugins and themes for potential POP chains that could be exploited in conjunction with this vulnerability.

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Compliance Impact

The vulnerability allows users with Contributor-level access or higher to inject PHP Objects via unsafe handling of serialized custom meta-data, potentially leading to remote code execution, arbitrary file operations, or sensitive data disclosure.

Such risks of unauthorized data disclosure and code execution could negatively impact compliance with data protection regulations like GDPR and HIPAA, which require safeguarding sensitive data and ensuring system integrity.

However, the provided information does not explicitly discuss compliance impacts or specific regulatory considerations.

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