Executive Summary

CVE-2026-39446 is an unauthenticated PHP Object Injection vulnerability found in WordPress Kapee Theme versions below 1.7.0.

This flaw allows attackers to inject malicious PHP objects without needing to authenticate, potentially leading to code execution, SQL injection, path traversal, denial of service, and other harmful actions if a suitable POP (Property Oriented Programming) chain exists.

It is classified under the OWASP Top 10 category A3: Injection and has a high severity score of 8.1.

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Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can have severe impacts including unauthorized code execution, which may allow attackers to take control of the affected system.

• Execution of arbitrary code
• SQL injection leading to data compromise
• Path traversal attacks potentially exposing sensitive files
• Denial of service causing service outages

Because the vulnerability requires no authentication, it can be exploited remotely and at scale, making it a significant risk especially for websites using vulnerable versions of the Kapee theme.

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Mitigation Strategies

The immediate step to mitigate this vulnerability is to update the WordPress Kapee Theme to version 1.7.0 or later.

Until the update is applied, it is advised to use the mitigation rule issued by Patchstack to block attacks targeting this vulnerability.

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Compliance Impact

The vulnerability allows unauthenticated PHP Object Injection which can lead to code execution, SQL injection, path traversal, and denial of service. Such exploits can result in unauthorized access to sensitive data or disruption of services.

These risks could impact compliance with standards and regulations like GDPR and HIPAA, which require protection of personal and sensitive data and maintaining system integrity and availability.

However, the provided information does not explicitly mention the direct effects on compliance with these regulations.

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Detection Guidance

The vulnerability affects WordPress Kapee Theme versions below 1.7.0 and involves unauthenticated PHP Object Injection. Detection typically involves identifying if the vulnerable theme version is in use and monitoring for exploit attempts.

To detect this vulnerability on your system, you can check the installed version of the Kapee theme to confirm if it is below 1.7.0.

• On a Linux server with command line access, navigate to the WordPress themes directory and run: `grep -r 'Version:' wp-content/themes/kapee/style.css` to find the theme version.
• Alternatively, use WP-CLI to check the theme version: `wp theme list --status=active` and verify the version of Kapee.

For network detection, monitoring web server logs for suspicious requests that may indicate exploitation attempts (such as unusual POST requests or payloads attempting PHP Object Injection) is recommended. Patchstack has issued mitigation rules to block attacks until the update is applied.

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