CVE-2022-4120 : What You Need to Know

A critical vulnerability has been identified in the Stop Spammers Security plugin, version less than 2022.6, that could allow unauthenticated PHP Object Injection. Read on to understand the impact, technical details, and mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-4120.

Understanding CVE-2022-4120

This section will cover the essential aspects of CVE-2022-4120.

What is CVE-2022-4120?

The Stop Spammers Security | Block Spam Users, Comments, Forms WordPress plugin before 2022.6 is vulnerable to unauthenticated PHP Object Injection due to passing base64 encoded user input to the unserialize() PHP function when CAPTCHAs are used.

The Impact of CVE-2022-4120

This vulnerability could lead to PHP Object injection if a plugin installed on the blog has a suitable gadget chain.

Technical Details of CVE-2022-4120

Let's delve into the technical specifics of CVE-2022-4120.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability arises from the insecure passing of base64 encoded user input to the unserialize() PHP function during CAPTCHA usage, potentially resulting in PHP Object Injection.

Affected Systems and Versions

The affected system includes the Stop Spammers Security | Block Spam Users, Comments, Forms WordPress plugin with versions less than 2022.6.

Exploitation Mechanism

The exploitation can occur through crafted user input triggering the PHP Object Injection vulnerability.

Mitigation and Prevention

Discover the steps to mitigate and prevent exploitation of CVE-2022-4120.

Immediate Steps to Take

Website administrators should immediately update the Stop Spammers Security plugin to version 2022.6 or newer to patch the vulnerability.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update all plugins and themes to maintain a secure WordPress environment.

Patching and Updates

Stay informed about security patches and updates released by plugin developers to address known vulnerabilities effectively.