# CVE-2025-12844: AI Engine <= 3.1.8 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) PHP Object Injection via PHAR Deserialization

> Authenticated attackers can exploit PHP object injection in the AI Engine WordPress plugin to potentially execute code or access data if a POP chain exists.

- **Severity:** High 7.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 13 Nov 2025
- **Updated:** 8 Apr 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-qxf4-66fg-4h23

## What is CVE-2025-12844?

CVE-2025-12844 is a high-severity unsafe deserialization vulnerability in tigroumeow AI Engine – The Chatbot, AI Framework & MCP for WordPress, published on 13 Nov 2025. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

The AI Engine plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection via PHAR Deserialization in all versions up to, and including, 3.1.8 via deserialization of untrusted input in the 'rest_simpleTranscribeAudio' and 'rest_simpleVisionQuery' functions. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to inject a PHP Object. No known POP chain is present in the vulnerable software, which means this vulnerability has no impact unless another plugin or theme containing a POP chain is installed on the site. If a POP chain is present via an additional plugin or theme installed on the target system, it may allow the attacker to perform actions like delete arbitrary files, retrieve sensitive data, or execute code depending on the POP chain present.

Weakness: CWE-502 (Deserialization of Untrusted Data)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-12844?


## How do I fix CVE-2025-12844?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-12844 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-12844 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-12844 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-12844 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-12844 is a high-severity unsafe deserialization vulnerability in tigroumeow AI Engine – The Chatbot, AI Framework & MCP for WordPress, published on 13 Nov 2025. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-12844 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: tigroumeow AI Engine – The Chatbot, AI Framework & MCP for WordPress. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-12844/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-12844/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-12844
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-12844
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-12844

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-12844/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.