CVE-2022-2438
Broken Link Checker <= 1.11.16 - Authenticated (Admin+) PHAR Deserialization
- Published
- Updated
- Reserved
- Assigned by
- Wordfence
Description
The Broken Link Checker plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to deserialization of untrusted input via the '$log_file' value in versions up to, and including 1.11.16. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with administrative privileges and above to call files using a PHAR wrapper that will deserialize the data and call arbitrary PHP Objects that can be used to perform a variety of malicious actions granted a POP chain is also present. It also requires that the attacker is successful in uploading a file with the serialized payload.
Timeline
ID reserved
By Wordfence
- 53 days later
· 53 days later
Published
- 4 years later
· 4 years later
Record updated
Changes after publication (a new score, a public exploit, EPSS crossing 1, 10 or 50 %, leaving KEV) are kept since November 2026; earlier ones are not known.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| WordfenceCNA (assigner) | 3.1 | High7.2 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| NVDNVD · Modified | 3.1 | High7.2 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 1.8% · top 21% of all CVEs (7 Nov 2026)
- CISA SSVC
- Exploitation: none · Automatable: no · Technical impact: total
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: High 7.2.
Weakness
Affected products
- affected ≤ 1.11.16
References (3)
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/62fd472e-208b-48db-8f98-3d935c7a678c?source=cve (opens in a new tab)x_transferred
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/2757773/broken-link-checker/trunk/core/core.php?old=2605914&old_path=broken-link-checker%2Ftrunk%2Fcore%2Fcore.php (opens in a new tab)x_transferred
- https://www.wordfence.com/vulnerability-advisories/#CVE-2022-2438 (opens in a new tab)x_transferred
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Badge for a README or a ticket
[](https://trackcve.app/cve/CVE-2022-2438)Record last updated .