CVE-2025-7697: 
WordPress vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2025-7697 is a PHP Object Injection vulnerability in the "Integration for Google Sheets and Contact Form 7, WPForms, Elementor, Ninja Forms" WordPress plugin by CRM Perks, affecting all versions up to and including 1.1.1. The flaw allows unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary PHP objects via deserialization of untrusted input in the verify_field_val() function. When the Contact Form 7 plugin is also installed (a common co-deployment scenario), an available POP chain enables arbitrary file deletion, potentially leading to denial of service or remote code execution. It was published on July 19, 2025, and carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (Critical) (Wordfence, Red Hat CVE).

The root cause is improper deserialization of untrusted data (CWE-502 / CAPEC-586: Object Injection) within the verify_field_val() function of the plugin. An unauthenticated attacker can craft a malicious serialized PHP payload and submit it via a form field, causing the server to deserialize and instantiate an attacker-controlled PHP object. When Contact Form 7 is present, its POP (Property-Oriented Programming) chain can be leveraged to trigger arbitrary file deletion — most critically wp-config.php — which resets the WordPress installation state and can facilitate remote code execution. The vulnerable code path is visible in the plugin source at version 1.1.1 (Wordfence, WordPress Plugin Trac).

Successful exploitation can result in full compromise of the affected WordPress site — impacting confidentiality, integrity, and availability. An unauthenticated attacker can delete arbitrary files on the server; deletion of wp-config.php causes WordPress to enter setup mode, enabling an attacker to reconfigure the database connection and achieve remote code execution. This can lead to complete site takeover, data exfiltration, malware installation, and lateral movement within the hosting environment (Wordfence, Red Hat CVE).

As of the time of disclosure, no public proof-of-concept exploit code has been confirmed, and there is no evidence of active in-the-wild exploitation (Wordfence). The vulnerability requires no authentication and no user interaction, making it trivially exploitable once a working payload is developed. The EPSS score is approximately 0.785%, reflecting a currently low but non-negligible probability of exploitation in the near term. The CVE is not currently listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.

1. Reconnaissance: Identify WordPress sites running the "Integration for Google Sheets and Contact Form 7" plugin (version ≤ 1.1.1) alongside Contact Form 7, using tools like WPScan, Shodan, or by inspecting publicly accessible plugin directories (/wp-content/plugins/integration-for-contact-form-7-and-google-sheets/).
2. Craft malicious payload: Construct a serialized PHP object payload that, when deserialized, instantiates a class available in the Contact Form 7 POP chain capable of triggering file deletion.
3. Submit payload: Send an unauthenticated HTTP request (e.g., a form submission) to a WordPress endpoint that invokes verify_field_val(), embedding the serialized payload in the targeted form field parameter.
4. Trigger POP chain: The deserialization of the injected object triggers the Contact Form 7 POP chain's magic methods (e.g., __destruct or __wakeup), initiating arbitrary file deletion.
5. Delete wp-config.php: Direct the POP chain to delete /wp-config.php, causing WordPress to enter installation/setup mode on the next page load.
6. Achieve RCE: Access the WordPress setup page (/wp-admin/setup-config.php), supply attacker-controlled database credentials, and gain administrative access — enabling arbitrary PHP code execution via theme/plugin editors or direct database manipulation (Wordfence, WordPress Plugin Trac).

• Network: Unusual POST requests to WordPress form submission endpoints containing serialized PHP data (strings beginning with O:, a:, or s: in form field values); unexpected requests to /wp-admin/setup-config.php from external IPs.
• File System: Absence of wp-config.php in the WordPress root directory; unexpected new wp-config.php with altered database credentials; presence of web shells or unfamiliar PHP files in wp-content/ directories.
• Logs: Web server access logs showing form submission requests with abnormally large or encoded field values; PHP error logs referencing deserialization errors or unexpected class instantiation; access log entries for /wp-admin/setup-config.php from non-administrative IPs.
• Process: Unexpected PHP child processes performing file system operations; unusual outbound network connections from the web server process.

Users should immediately update the "Integration for Google Sheets and Contact Form 7, WPForms, Elementor, Ninja Forms" plugin to a version beyond 1.1.1 that addresses this vulnerability; the patch was introduced in changeset 3329005 on the WordPress plugin repository (WordPress Plugin Trac). If an immediate update is not possible, consider temporarily deactivating the plugin to eliminate the attack surface. Deploying a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with rules to detect and block serialized PHP object payloads in form submissions provides an additional layer of defense. Administrators should also audit their WordPress installations for signs of compromise, particularly verifying the integrity of wp-config.php (Wordfence).

Wordfence, which assigned and disclosed this CVE, highlighted the vulnerability in its weekly WordPress vulnerability report for July 14–20, 2025, noting the critical severity due to the unauthenticated attack vector and potential for RCE via the Contact Form 7 POP chain (Wordfence Weekly Report). ZeroPath published a technical blog post analyzing the vulnerability in the context of similar PHP object injection issues in WordPress contact form plugins (ZeroPath Blog). The vulnerability was also referenced in the CISA weekly vulnerability bulletin for the week of July 14, 2025 (CISA Bulletin).