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CVE-2026-40738 – Unauthenticated PHP Object Injection – Edge-Themes Eldon WordPress Theme ≤ 1.4.1

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Summary

CVE-2026-40738 is an unauthenticated PHP Object Injection vulnerability in the Eldon WordPress theme by Edge-Themes, affecting all versions up to and including 1.4.1. The flaw allows any remote, unauthenticated attacker to pass a malicious serialized PHP object to the theme’s deserialization logic, which — when a suitable POP (Property-Oriented Programming) chain is available on the target server — can lead to remote code execution, arbitrary file manipulation, or denial of service. The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 score of 8.1 (HIGH).

Technical details

  • Root cause: The theme passes attacker-controlled input to PHP’s unserialize() (or an equivalent deserialization function) without sanitizing or validating the data, allowing an attacker to inject a crafted serialized PHP object.
  • Trigger conditions: The vulnerability is reachable without authentication — no login, role, or prior access is required. Exploitation is typically triggered by sending a crafted HTTP POST request to a WordPress AJAX endpoint or similar entry point exposed by the theme.
  • Attack vector: Network — the vulnerable endpoint is reachable directly over the internet.
  • Attack complexity: High — successful exploitation depends on a usable POP chain being present on the target server (within the theme, WordPress core, or any co-installed plugin). When a compatible chain exists, PHP magic methods such as __destruct() or __wakeup() can be abused to redirect program flow.
  • Impact: If a POP chain is available, an attacker can achieve: remote code execution (RCE), arbitrary file read/write/deletion, SQL injection, path traversal, or denial of service — with full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact (C:H/I:H/A:H as reflected in the CVSS score).

Affected software

  • Edge-Themes Eldon WordPress Theme, all versions ≤ 1.4.1

Severity

  • CVSS v3.1 Base Score: 8.1 (HIGH)
  • Vector string: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
  • Scored by Patchstack (CNA)

Mitigation and recommended actions

  • Patch immediately: Update the Eldon theme to version 1.5 or later, which contains the vendor-provided fix. Updates are available through the WordPress theme dashboard or via the ThemeForest/Qode Interactive distribution channel.
  • If immediate patching is not possible: Consider deploying a web application firewall (WAF) rule to block malformed serialized POST payloads targeting WordPress AJAX endpoints (/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php). Restrict public internet access to WordPress admin and AJAX handler endpoints where operationally feasible.
  • Inventory: Organizations running the Eldon theme should audit all deployments, including staging and development environments, which are often overlooked and may run outdated versions.

IONIX Status

The IONIX research team is tracking ongoing exploitation attempts and recommends immediate patching. Potentially affected assets are outlined in this post.

References

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