CVE-2025-60082: 
WordPress vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2025-60082 is a Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability (CWE-502) in the PDF for WPForms WordPress plugin developed by add-ons.org, enabling PHP Object Injection attacks. It affects all versions of the plugin up to and including 6.5.0 (NVD) / 6.3.1 (ENISA/Patchstack). The vulnerability was published on December 18, 2025, and assigned by Patchstack. It carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (High) (Feedly, ENISA EUVD).

The vulnerability is rooted in unsafe deserialization of user-supplied data within the PDF for WPForms plugin (CWE-502 / CAPEC-586: Object Injection). When the plugin processes serialized PHP data without adequate validation or integrity checks, an attacker can craft a malicious serialized payload that, upon deserialization, instantiates arbitrary PHP objects. Depending on available PHP classes (gadget chains) present in the WordPress environment, this can escalate to remote code execution, file manipulation, or other critical impacts. The attack vector is network-based, requires only low-privilege authentication, no user interaction, and has low attack complexity (Feedly).

Successful exploitation can result in full compromise of the affected WordPress site, with high impact to confidentiality, integrity, and availability. An authenticated attacker with low privileges could execute arbitrary code, read or modify sensitive data, delete files, or cause a denial of service. The network-accessible attack surface and lack of required user interaction make this vulnerability particularly dangerous for shared hosting environments where multiple sites may be affected (Feedly, ENISA EUVD).

There is currently no public proof-of-concept exploit code and no confirmed evidence of in-the-wild exploitation as of the disclosure date (Feedly). The EPSS score is approximately 0.024%, indicating a low near-term exploitation probability. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. No specific threat actor attribution has been reported.

1. Reconnaissance: Identify WordPress sites running the PDF for WPForms plugin (versions ≤ 6.5.0) using tools like WPScan, Shodan, or by inspecting plugin directories exposed via the target site.
2. Obtain low-privilege access: Register or log in as a low-privileged user (e.g., subscriber or contributor) on the target WordPress site, as the vulnerability requires authenticated access.
3. Identify the vulnerable input: Locate the plugin functionality that accepts and processes serialized PHP data (e.g., form submission or PDF generation endpoints handled by the plugin).
4. Craft a malicious serialized payload: Using a PHP gadget chain tool (e.g., PHPGGC), generate a serialized PHP object payload targeting a gadget chain available in the WordPress/plugin environment to achieve the desired impact (e.g., RCE, file write).
5. Submit the payload: Send the crafted serialized payload to the vulnerable endpoint via an HTTP request.
6. Trigger deserialization: The plugin deserializes the attacker-controlled data, instantiating the malicious object and executing the gadget chain, resulting in code execution or other impacts (Feedly).

• Network: Unusual HTTP POST requests to PDF for WPForms plugin endpoints containing serialized PHP data (strings beginning with O:, a:, or s: in request bodies or parameters).
• Logs: WordPress or web server access logs showing repeated authenticated requests to plugin-specific endpoints with abnormally large or encoded POST bodies; PHP error logs referencing unexpected class instantiation or deserialization errors.
• File System: Unexpected new PHP files (web shells) in the WordPress uploads directory or plugin directories; modifications to existing plugin files with timestamps inconsistent with plugin installation or update dates.
• Process: Unusual child processes spawned by the web server process (e.g., bash, curl, wget, python) that are not typical for normal WordPress operation.

The primary remediation is to update the PDF for WPForms plugin to a version beyond 6.5.0 (per NVD) or beyond 6.3.1 (per Patchstack/ENISA). If an immediate update is not possible, temporarily deactivating the plugin is recommended to eliminate the attack surface. Additionally, implement strict input validation for any serialized data, apply the principle of least privilege for WordPress user roles, and monitor for suspicious activity. Web application firewalls (WAFs) with PHP deserialization detection rules can provide an additional layer of defense (Feedly, ENISA EUVD).