Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2026-2471 affects the WP Mail Logging WordPress plugin through version 1.15.0. An unauthenticated visitor may plant malicious serialized data by submitting a public form that sends email. The dangerous part happens later when an administrator views the logged email. Serious impact depends on another installed plugin or theme providing a usable PHP object chain.
Executive priority
Treat as a high-priority WordPress plugin issue for sites using WP Mail Logging, but prioritize highest where public forms and many plugins are present. The risk is conditional, not automatically remote code execution. Patch or disable based on vendor guidance and exposure.
Technical view
The issue is CWE-502 PHP object injection. WP Mail Logging's BaseModel constructor calls maybe_unserialize() on database properties without validation. A double-serialized payload can enter through the email log message field, then deserialize when the log is rendered. The CVSS 7.5 vector requires user interaction and high attack complexity because a separate POP chain is needed for impact.
Likely exposure
WordPress sites running WP Mail Logging 1.15.0 or older are potentially exposed, especially if they have public contact or registration forms that send email. Exposure becomes materially higher when additional plugins or themes include a usable POP chain. Sites without such a chain may have limited direct impact from this plugin alone.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or confirmed active exploitation. Attackers do not need WordPress credentials, but they need a route that sends email and an administrator must later view the log. Practical exploitation also depends on site-specific plugin or theme code that can turn deserialization into file deletion, data access, or code execution.
Researcher notes
Key evidence points to maybe_unserialize() in BaseModel, mail logging flow, AJAX rendering, and a plugin changeset. The vulnerability description explicitly says no known POP chain exists in WP Mail Logging itself, so impact must be evaluated per target environment. Avoid assuming exploitability without a co-installed gadget chain.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites using WP Mail Logging and record plugin versions.
- Follow plugin maintainer guidance and apply a fixed release newer than 1.15.0 if available.
- If no fix is available, evaluate temporarily disabling WP Mail Logging.
- Limit unnecessary public email-sending forms until remediation is complete.
- Review installed plugins and themes for deserialization gadget-chain exposure.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether WP Mail Logging version is 1.15.0 or older.
- Identify public-facing forms that send email into WordPress mail handling.
- Verify whether administrators have viewed recent WP Mail Logging entries.
- Review mail log entries for unusual serialized object-like content.
- Assess co-installed plugins and themes for known POP chain risks.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-502: Code execution behavior lookup
Code execution and unsafe deserialization weaknesses often justify reviewing execution behavior and process telemetry. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupDatabase behavior lookup
The CVE wording references database injection or access, so collection and exfiltration review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2026-2471 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 7.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H1.65.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.5HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/10e4c52d-c82f-4393-9a56-5714b3a108d1?source=cveCVE reference
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-mail-logging/tags/1.15.0/lib/vendor/brandonwamboldt/wp-orm/src/BaseModel.php#L39CVE reference
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-mail-logging/tags/1.15.0/src/WPML_Plugin.php#L553CVE reference
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-mail-logging/tags/1.15.0/src/Renderer/WPML_MailRenderer_AJAX_Handler.php#L100CVE reference
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?sfp_email=&sfph_mail=&reponame=&new=3464813%40wp-mail-logging&old=3358334%40wp-mail-logging&sfp_email=&sfph_mail=CVE reference
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Deserialization of Untrusted Data
Deserialization of Untrusted Data represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.
