Wine House Theme PHP Object Injection: CVE-2026-62053 Grants Remote Code Execution

The ThemeREX Wine House WordPress theme contains a critical security vulnerability that allows attackers to execute arbitrary PHP code on affected sites. The National Vulnerability Database has assigned the identifier CVE-2026-62053 to this issue, rating it with a CVSS score of 9.8. This high severity score reflects the ease with which an attacker can exploit the flaw without needing any prior access or credentials to the WordPress installation.

Root cause

The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-502, which denotes a PHP Object Injection vulnerability. This type of flaw occurs when an application deserializes untrusted data without proper validation or integrity checks. In the context of the Wine House theme, the code fails to safely handle serialized PHP objects that are passed to it. An attacker can craft a malicious serialized string that, when processed by the theme, instantiates arbitrary PHP objects. This mechanism allows the injection of malicious payloads directly into the application’s execution flow.

Attack path

Because the vulnerability is unauthenticated, any remote attacker with network access to the vulnerable WordPress site can attempt exploitation. The attacker does not need to know valid login credentials or possess an existing user account on the platform. By sending a specially crafted HTTP request containing the malicious serialized object, the attacker triggers the deserialization process within the Wine House theme. The application then executes the injected PHP code, potentially leading to full remote code execution on the server hosting the site.

Affected versions

The National Vulnerability Database specifies that the issue affects versions of the Wine House theme up to 3.20. This includes version 3.20 and all previous releases distributed by ThemeREX. Sites running these versions remain exposed to the unauthenticated PHP Object Injection attack described in CVE-2026-62053. Administrators should verify their current theme version in the WordPress dashboard to determine if their installation falls within this vulnerable range.

Mitigation

• Identify the current version of the Wine House theme installed on your WordPress site.
• Check if the version is 3.20 or earlier, as these are confirmed to be affected.
• Monitor ThemeREX announcements for a patched version that resolves CVE-2026-62053.
• Apply the update immediately once the vendor releases a fix to close the injection vector.

What to do and how to stay safe: Wine House

• Audit your WordPress plugins and themes to identify any components from ThemeREX or similar vendors that handle user input.
• Review server access logs for unusual POST requests that may indicate attempts to exploit object injection flaws.
• Implement a web application firewall to filter out requests containing serialized PHP strings or suspicious payloads.
• Keep your WordPress core, plugins, and themes updated to ensure you receive security patches as soon as vendors provide them.

Step-by-step guide: Attack Surface Management: 6 Common Misreadings and Correct Views

General security guidance from the NetSec Observer newsroom. It is not confirmed advice from the organisations named in this story.

Frequently asked questions

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-62053?

The National Vulnerability Database rates CVE-2026-62053 as 9.8, which is classified as Critical.

Which versions of the Wine House theme are affected?

All versions of the ThemeREX Wine House theme up to and including version 3.20 are affected by this vulnerability.

Does an attacker need to log in to exploit this flaw?

No, the vulnerability allows for unauthenticated exploitation, meaning no login credentials are required to attack the site.