Duplicator: Unauthenticated PHP Object Injection via stored site content
Summary
Duplicator Free up to 1.5.17 and Duplicator Pro up to 4.6.10 deserialize untrusted database content during migration, which allows PHP Object Injection. An unauthenticated attacker can store a serialized object in public site content, such as a comment. When an administrator later builds a package and runs a migration or import, the payload can lead to operating-system command execution in the Free edition, or to deletion of attacker-selected files such as wp-config.php in Pro, which can result in site takeover.
Affected
- Duplicator Free: all versions up to and including 1.5.17
- Duplicator Pro: all versions up to and including 4.6.10
Fixed in
- Duplicator Free and Pro: 5.0.0 and later
Workaround
- No workaround is documented.
- Updating does not fix archives that already exist.
Exploitation
- No exploitation in the wild is known.
- CISA SSVC: exploitation none, not automatable.
- No public proof of concept found (VulDB).
Our recommendation
- Inventory all Duplicator Free and Pro installations and check their versions.
- Update all installations below 5.0.0 to 5.0.0 or later.
- Replace backup archives created before the update and do not restore or migrate from them.
- Review administrator migration and import activity and check for unexpected file deletions or changes.
Public exploits
PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit and Exploit-DB list nothing for this CVE.
Research sources
- Duplicator Changelog (v5.0.0) duplicator.com
- Wordfence threat intelligence entry www.wordfence.com
- Wordfence Argus write-up (reproduced) malware.news
- Second-order flaw write-up dev.to
- Migration analysis (Adyog) pulse.adyog.com
- VulDB entry vuldb.com
- CVE description (ThreatInt) cve.threatint.com
Researched and written up in English and German by an AI (Claude by Anthropic) based on NVD, CISA, EPSS and the sources listed. The vendor information is authoritative. Researched on 31 Oct 2026, 11:17.
Original description (NVD)
The Duplicator and Duplicator Pro plugins for WordPress are vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 1.5.17 and 4.6.10, respectively, via deserialization of untrusted database content in DUPX_UpdateEngine::unserializeTest() during migration. This allows unauthenticated attackers to store a serialized object in public site content before an administrator builds a package and later performs a migration or import that runs database search-and-replace. Duplicator Free bundles a Requests 1.7 POP chain that permits attacker-selected callbacks, resulting in direct operating-system command execution. Duplicator Pro bundles an IndexList destructor gadget that permits deletion of an attacker-selected existing file when its containing directory is writable by the installer PHP process; deletion of wp-config.php can expose the setup wizard and lead to site takeover and code execution if the attacker reaches it first and supplies a reachable database they control. The package must be created after the carrier is stored, and a later administrator migration action is required.
Sources
The tracker combines official, freely usable data sources – updated continuously:
- NVD (NIST) – CVEs, rating (CVSS), affected products
- CISA KEV – vulnerabilities confirmed by CISA as actively exploited
- CISA Vulnrichment – CISA assessment (SSVC) in the official CVE record
- FIRST EPSS – probability of exploitation
- Microsoft MSRC – Patch Tuesday: vulnerabilities, severity, updates
- PoC-in-GitHub – public proof-of-concept repositories
- Metasploit (Rapid7) – modules of the Metasploit Framework
- Exploit-DB (OffSec) – archive of public exploits (links only)
- Patch days: official vendor pages (linked per vendor) (Vendor patch days)
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS data © FIRST.org.
Affected? We can help.
We check whether your systems are affected, install updates and close the gap – continuously with the System Health Checker if you wish.