Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2026-25359 affects the WordPress Pendulum theme before version 3.1.5. It is a PHP object injection issue caused by unsafe deserialization. A logged-in low-privilege user could potentially trigger serious confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact. Public sources do not show known active exploitation.
Executive priority
Treat as a high-priority WordPress maintenance issue for any externally reachable site using Pendulum. Prioritize sites allowing registrations, contributors, subscribers, or other untrusted authenticated users.
Technical view
The vulnerability is CWE-502, Deserialization of Untrusted Data, in rascals Pendulum for WordPress through versions before 3.1.5. CVSS 3.1 is 8.8: network attack vector, low complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, and high CIA impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to WordPress sites running the Pendulum theme below 3.1.5. Sites without the theme, or with 3.1.5 or later, are not indicated as affected by the provided sources.
Exploitation context
The CVSS vector indicates exploitation requires network access and a low-privilege account, with no user interaction. The CVE is not listed in KEV, and the provided sources do not report active exploitation or public exploit availability.
Researcher notes
Impact may depend on reachable PHP object chains in the theme or surrounding WordPress environment. Sources identify the class and affected range but do not provide technical root-cause detail, exploit conditions beyond CVSS, or evidence of exploitation.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade the Pendulum theme to version 3.1.5 or later where available.
- Restrict or remove unnecessary low-privilege WordPress accounts until upgraded.
- Check the vendor and Patchstack entry for any updated remediation guidance.
- Back up the site before theme updates and test in staging when possible.
Validation and detection
- Inventory WordPress sites for the Pendulum theme.
- Confirm the installed Pendulum version is 3.1.5 or later.
- Review WordPress user roles for unnecessary low-privilege accounts.
- Check web and application logs for unusual authenticated activity.
- Monitor the CVE and Patchstack pages for updates.
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 lookupCVE-2026-25359 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
- 8.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H2.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
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.