CVE-2026-2020
Published: 07 March 2026
Summary
CVE-2026-2020 is a high-severity Deserialization of Untrusted Data (CWE-502) vulnerability in Wordpress (inferred from references). Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked at the 24.2th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
Threat & Defense at a Glance
Threat & Defense Details
Likely Mitigating ControlsAI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
Penetration testing supplies malicious serialized objects, detecting unsafe deserialization and supporting corrective actions.
Evaluation of untrusted data handling (deserialization testing) reveals unsafe processing, which the required remediation process addresses.
Untrusted serialized data can be deserialized and observed inside the chamber, blocking gadget-chain exploitation outside the sandbox.
Validates or rejects untrusted serialized data before deserialization occurs.
Identifies and blocks malicious code introduced through deserialization of untrusted data at system boundaries.
Integrity verification of serialized information can detect tampering before deserialization occurs.
Provenance of associated data allows detection of untrusted sources before deserialization or processing occurs.
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
PHP object injection in public-facing WordPress plugin directly enables remote exploitation for code execution/file access via shortcode input.
NVD Description
The JS Archive List plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 6.1.7 via the 'included' shortcode attribute. This is due to the deserialization of untrusted input supplied via the 'included' parameter…
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of the plugin's shortcode. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to inject a PHP Object. No known POP chain is present in the vulnerable software. If a POP chain is present via an additional plugin or theme installed on the target system, it could allow the attacker to delete arbitrary files, retrieve sensitive data, or execute code.
Deeper analysisAI
CVE-2026-2020 is a PHP Object Injection vulnerability (CWE-502) affecting the JS Archive List plugin for WordPress in all versions up to and including 6.1.7. The issue arises from the deserialization of untrusted input supplied via the 'included' parameter of the plugin's shortcode, enabling authenticated attackers to inject a PHP Object. The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) and was published on 2026-03-07.
Authenticated attackers with Contributor-level access or higher can exploit this vulnerability by supplying malicious input through the 'included' shortcode attribute. While no known Proof-of-Concept (POP) chain exists within the vulnerable plugin itself, the presence of a POP chain via an additional plugin or theme on the target system could allow attackers to delete arbitrary files, retrieve sensitive data, or execute arbitrary code.
References provided include code excerpts from the plugin's tagged 6.1.7 release and trunk versions, specifically lines in class-jq-archive-list-widget.php and class-js-archive-list-settings.php, highlighting the deserialization points, along with a changeset link that may indicate related updates. No explicit mitigation or patch details are detailed in the available information.
Details
- CWE(s)