critical CVSS 9.8

CVE-2024-8353·PHP vulnerability

The GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 3.16.1 via deserialization of untrusted input via several parameters like 'give_title' and 'card_address'. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to inject a PHP Object. The additional presence of a POP chain allows attackers to delete arbitrary files and achieve remote code execution. This is essentially the same vulnerability as CVE-2024-5932, however, it was discovered the the presence of stripslashes_deep on user_info allows the is_serialized check to be bypassed. This issue was mostly patched in 3.16.1, but further hardening was added in 3.16.2.

Severity
critical
Software
PHP
Fixed in
3.16.2
Published
2024-09-28

Affected versions

Until: 3.16.2

Fixed in: 3.16.2

How to fix this CVE

Update the GiveWP plugin to version 3.16.2 or later immediately to patch a critical PHP object injection vulnerability that could allow unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code. If you cannot update immediately, disable the GiveWP plugin and review your server logs for suspicious serialized object patterns in donation form submissions. Apply additional input validation hardening on any custom donation forms until the plugin is patched.

sudo dnf update php php-common

Defensia detects this vulnerability

What an exploitation attempt looks like

Sample log line indicative of exploitation attempts:

POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php or donation form endpoints containing serialized PHP objects in parameters such as 'give_title', 'card_address', or 'user_info' with patterns matching O:\d+:".*":{.*} or evidence of stripslashes_deep bypass attempts in POST data

WAF mitigation (if patching is not yet possible)

Add this rule to your WAF to block exploitation attempts while you schedule the patch. 

Block HTTP POST requests containing serialized PHP object patterns (regex: O:\d+:") to WordPress donation endpoints; implement strict input validation rejecting any serialized data in 'give_title', 'card_address', 'user_info' and similar form parameters; rate-limit unauthenticated donation form submissions to slow reconnaissance attempts

How to check if you are affected

  1. Check GiveWP plugin version: Log into WordPress admin panel, navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins, and locate GiveWP – Donation Plugin. Note the version number displayed.
  2. Verify PHP version: Run `php -v` on the server to confirm the PHP runtime version in use.
  3. Search WordPress database for serialized objects: Execute `mysql -u root -p wordpress -e "SELECT * FROM wp_options WHERE option_value LIKE '%O:%'" | grep -i give` to identify any serialized object patterns in GiveWP settings.
  4. Confirm patch application: After updating GiveWP to 3.16.2+, verify the fix by checking the plugin file modification timestamp: `stat /path/to/wp-content/plugins/give/includes/process-donation.php` should show a recent date after your update.

FAQ

What is CVE-2024-8353?

CVE-2024-8353 is a critical PHP object injection vulnerability in the GiveWP WordPress donation plugin that allows unauthenticated attackers to inject malicious serialized PHP objects through donation form parameters like 'give_title' and 'card_address', potentially leading to remote code execution and arbitrary file deletion.

Is CVE-2024-8353 being actively exploited?

No, CVE-2024-8353 is not currently listed on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog and no public exploits are available, however the vulnerability poses extreme risk due to its ease of exploitation and critical severity rating.

What versions of GiveWP are affected by CVE-2024-8353?

All versions of the GiveWP plugin up to and including version 3.16.1 are vulnerable; the vulnerability was patched in version 3.16.2 with additional security hardening.

How do I check if my server is vulnerable to CVE-2024-8353?

In WordPress admin, go to Plugins and check if GiveWP is installed and note its version number. If it shows version 3.16.1 or earlier, your installation is vulnerable. Run `grep -r "give_title" /var/www/html/wp-content/plugins/give/includes/process-donation.php` to confirm the vulnerable parameter handling code is present.

Does Defensia detect CVE-2024-8353?

Yes — Defensia's CVE advisory scanner compares installed package versions against the NVD database. If GiveWP is installed on a monitored WordPress site, CVE-2024-8353 will appear in your dashboard with remediation steps and plugin version details.

Related PHP CVEs

CVE-2025-25174CVSS 10Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion') vulnerability in beeteam368 BeeTeam368 Extensions beeteam368-extensions allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects BeeTeam368 Extensions: from n/a through <= 1.9.4.
CVE-2025-46348CVSS 10YesWiki is a wiki system written in PHP. Prior to version 4.5.4, the request to commence a site backup can be performed and downloaded without authentication. The archives are created with a predictable filename, so a malicious user could create and download an archive without being authenticated. This could result in a malicious attacker making numerous requests to create archives and fill up the file system, or by downloading the archive which contains sensitive site information. This issue has been patched in version 4.5.4.
CVE-2026-39337CVSS 10ChurchCRM is an open-source church management system. Prior to 7.1.0, critical pre-authentication remote code execution vulnerability in ChurchCRM's setup wizard allows unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary PHP code during the initial installation process, leading to complete server compromise. The "$dbPassword" variable is not sanitized. This vulnerability exists due to an incomplete fix for CVE-2025-62521. This vulnerability is fixed in 7.1.0.
CVE-2025-62521CVSS 10ChurchCRM is an open-source church management system. Prior to version 5.21.0, a pre-authentication remote code execution vulnerability in ChurchCRM's setup wizard allows unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary PHP code during the initial installation process, leading to complete server compromise. The vulnerability exists in `setup/routes/setup.php` where user input from the setup form is directly concatenated into a PHP configuration template without any validation or sanitization. Any parameter in the setup form can be used to inject PHP code that gets written to `Include/Config.php`, which is then executed on every page load. This is more severe than typical authenticated RCE vulnerabilities because it requires no credentials and affects the installation process that administrators must complete. Version 5.21.0 patches the issue.
CVE-2024-5932CVSS 10The GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 3.14.1 via deserialization of untrusted input from the 'give_title' parameter. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to inject a PHP Object. The additional presence of a POP chain allows attackers to execute code remotely, and to delete arbitrary files.

References

Track CVEs across your fleet automatically

Defensia scans your Linux servers and tells you exactly which ones are running vulnerable versions — including CVE-2024-8353. Free for 1 server.

Get started free