CVE-2024-7560 is a deserialization vulnerability classified under CWE-502 found in the News Flash WordPress theme developed by codename065. The flaw exists in all versions up to and including 1.1.0 and arises from unsafe deserialization of the newsflash_post_meta meta value, which can be controlled by authenticated users with Editor-level or higher privileges. This vulnerability enables PHP Object Injection, allowing attackers to inject crafted serialized objects. While the theme itself does not contain a known POP (Property Oriented Programming) gadget chain to facilitate exploitation, the presence of other plugins or themes with exploitable POP chains on the same WordPress installation could allow attackers to leverage this injection to perform destructive actions such as arbitrary file deletion, sensitive data retrieval, or remote code execution. The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.2, indicating high severity, with an attack vector over the network, low attack complexity, requiring high privileges but no user interaction. The scope is unchanged, but the impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability is high. No patches are currently linked, and no exploits have been observed in the wild. This vulnerability highlights the risks of deserializing untrusted data in WordPress themes, especially when combined with other vulnerable components.

The potential impact of CVE-2024-7560 is significant for organizations running WordPress sites with the News Flash theme. An attacker with Editor-level access, which is a common privilege level for content managers, could exploit this vulnerability to inject malicious PHP objects. If the environment includes other vulnerable plugins or themes that provide POP chains, attackers could escalate this to remote code execution, arbitrary file deletion, or data exfiltration. This could lead to full site compromise, defacement, data breaches, or service disruption. Given WordPress's dominance in CMS usage worldwide and the ease of obtaining Editor privileges in some environments, the vulnerability poses a substantial risk to website integrity and availability. Organizations relying on this theme for news or content delivery could face reputational damage, loss of customer trust, and regulatory consequences if sensitive data is exposed or services are disrupted.

To mitigate CVE-2024-7560, organizations should first upgrade the News Flash theme to a patched version once available from the vendor. Until a patch is released, restrict Editor-level and higher privileges to trusted users only, minimizing the risk of exploitation. Implement strict input validation and sanitization for meta values if custom code is used. Conduct an audit of installed plugins and themes to identify and remove or update components that might provide exploitable POP chains. Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with rules targeting PHP Object Injection patterns and deserialization attacks. Regularly monitor logs for suspicious activity related to meta value modifications. Additionally, consider disabling or limiting the use of PHP serialization in user-controllable inputs. Finally, maintain regular backups and have an incident response plan ready to quickly recover from potential compromises.