# CVE-2025-7504: Friends 3.5.1 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) PHP Object Injection

> Authenticated attackers can exploit PHP object injection in the Friends plugin if a POP chain exists in other installed components, potentially leading to code execution or data exposure.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/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:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 12 Jul 2025
- **Updated:** 14 Jul 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-4fh8-fjgg-4q2v

## What is CVE-2025-7504?

CVE-2025-7504 is a high-severity unsafe deserialization vulnerability in akirk Friends, published on 12 Jul 2025. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The Friends plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in version 3.5.1 via deserialization of untrusted input of the query_vars parameter 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. This requires access to the sites SALT_NONCE and and SALT_KEY to exploit.

Weakness: CWE-502 (Deserialization of Untrusted Data)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-7504?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Alex.kirk Friends.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-7504?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-7504 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-7504 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-7504 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in akirk Friends

- [CVE-2024-1978](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-1978/): Friends <= 2.8.5 - Authenticated (Admin+) Blind Server-Side Request Forgery (medium 5.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-7504 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-7504 is a high-severity unsafe deserialization vulnerability in akirk Friends, published on 12 Jul 2025. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-7504 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: akirk Friends. 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-2025-7504/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-7504/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-7504
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-7504
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-7504

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-7504/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.