CVE-2024-7435 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-502 (Deserialization of Untrusted Data) affecting the Attire WordPress theme developed by shafayat-alam. The flaw exists in all versions up to and including 2.0.6, where the theme improperly deserializes PHP objects from untrusted input. This deserialization process can be manipulated by authenticated attackers with Contributor-level access or higher, enabling them to inject malicious PHP objects. While the theme itself does not contain a known POP chain to facilitate exploitation, the presence of other plugins or themes that provide such chains can enable attackers to leverage this vulnerability for destructive actions. Potential impacts include arbitrary file deletion, unauthorized data access, and remote code execution. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable over the network without user interaction, requiring only low privileges (Contributor role) to initiate the attack. The CVSS 3.1 score of 8.8 reflects a high severity due to the ease of exploitation, broad impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, and the scope of affected systems. No patches are currently linked, indicating the need for immediate attention from site administrators and developers.

The vulnerability poses a significant risk to organizations running WordPress sites with the Attire theme, especially those allowing Contributor-level user registrations. Exploitation can lead to complete compromise of the affected website, including deletion of critical files, exposure of sensitive information such as user data or credentials, and execution of arbitrary code that could be used to pivot within the hosting environment. This can result in website defacement, data breaches, service outages, and potential use of the compromised server as a launchpad for further attacks. Given WordPress's widespread use globally, the impact could be substantial, affecting businesses, government websites, and personal blogs alike. The requirement for authenticated access limits the attack surface but does not eliminate risk, as Contributor accounts are commonly granted to content creators and can be targeted via social engineering or credential theft. The absence of a direct POP chain in the theme reduces immediate exploitability but reliance on other installed components increases the attack complexity and variability of impact.

1. Immediately restrict Contributor-level user registrations or review and harden user role assignments to minimize exposure. 2. Monitor and audit all installed plugins and themes for known POP chains that could be leveraged in conjunction with this vulnerability. 3. Apply any available updates or patches from the theme developer as soon as they are released. 4. If patches are unavailable, consider temporarily disabling or replacing the Attire theme with a secure alternative. 5. Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block suspicious deserialization payloads targeting the theme. 6. Conduct regular security assessments and penetration tests focusing on deserialization vulnerabilities and privilege escalation paths. 7. Enforce strong authentication mechanisms and monitor Contributor accounts for unusual activity. 8. Backup website data frequently and maintain offline copies to enable recovery in case of compromise. 9. Educate site administrators and content contributors about phishing and credential security to reduce risk of account takeover.