External risk intelligence

Hot Coffee Theme PHP Object Injection Vulnerability.

CVE advisorySeverity: CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8)

CVE-2025-69108

An unauthenticated PHP Object Injection vulnerability exists in the Hot Coffee WordPress theme. This flaw could allow remote attackers to inject malicious PHP objects without needing credentials, potentially leading to unauthorized access, data manipulation, or denial of service. It is important to determine if this th

Deserialization

Halo Surface Signal

Likely · external exposure

4Halo Surface Signal

This vulnerability affects a WordPress theme, which is typically deployed as a public-facing web application. Since themes are core components of web sites accessible over the internet, the vulnerable code is commonly exposed to remote, unauthenticated users.

Horizon Alert

Summary of the vulnerability and why it matters

This advisory concerns a critical security vulnerability found in the Hot Coffee WordPress theme. The issue involves unauthenticated PHP Object Injection, meaning an attacker could potentially exploit it over the network without needing any credentials. While the specific impact depends on the exact configuration and usage of the theme, such vulnerabilities can lead to unauthorized access, data manipulation, or denial of service. The main concern is to confirm if this theme is in use and assess its relevance to our environment.

  • Theme flaw allows remote attackers to inject code.
  • Critical flaw in widely used web technology.
  • Confirm if theme is used and assess exposure.

Attack Path

How an attacker could exploit the issue

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending specially crafted requests over the network to a vulnerable website. This is possible because the affected component does not require any authentication or special user interaction to be triggered. Successful exploitation could lead to significant compromise of the affected system.

  • No authentication needed to attack.
  • Triggered by network requests.
  • Leads to full system compromise.

Live Threat

Current exploitation, exposure, and threat context

This vulnerability could allow an unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code on the server by injecting malicious PHP objects. This may occur when the application processes user-supplied input without proper sanitization, potentially leading to a compromise of the server's integrity and confidentiality.

  • Server-side code execution.
  • Unsanitized input processing.
  • Complete server compromise.

Operational Fix

Recommended remediation, mitigation, and detection steps

This unauthenticated PHP object injection in the Hot Coffee theme likely impacts public-facing websites. Application owners or platform teams should lead the response by first identifying all instances of the affected theme, confirming its exposure and criticality, and then planning remediation.

  • Application owners should own the issue.
  • Verify theme exposure and business criticality.
  • Plan remediation based on risk.

Supplementary metadata

PCI scan relevance

Yes

CVE-2025-69108 — Halo PCI Relevance: Yes. Under typical PCI ASV external scan criteria, this issue may be flagged for scan prioritization.

This PHP object injection vulnerability can lead to remote code execution, which is a critical security issue that would cause a PCI ASV scan to fail.

Scan-prioritization guidance only—not a PCI DSS certification or ASV attestation.

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Validate whether this threat affects your internet-facing exposure.

Halo Threat Intelligence helps prioritize remediation with Halo Surface Signal and H/A/L/O context. Start exposure validation with a free external attack surface trial.

Free EASM Trial See How Signal Works

Frequently asked questions

What is the Hot Coffee theme?

Hot Coffee is a WordPress theme designed to manage site presentation and visual layout. Because it acts as a core component of a website's interface, it handles incoming web requests to render pages for visitors. It is specifically used within the WordPress ecosystem to control how content appears to users.

What does PHP Object Injection mean for CVE-2025-69108?

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-502, which involves insecure deserialization. In plain terms, the theme takes data sent by a user and improperly converts it into a PHP object. If the data is malicious, the application may inadvertently execute that code, giving an attacker control over the server's processes.

How can an attacker trigger this vulnerability?

An attacker triggers this by sending a specially crafted network request to the website that the theme then processes. No login credentials or prior interaction with the site are required to initiate this process. The vulnerability does not require the attacker to have an existing account on the WordPress site.

Is my website at risk from this CVE?

According to Halo Surface Signal, this vulnerability is considered a high priority because it affects a WordPress theme, which is typically configured to be internet-facing. If your site uses Hot Coffee version 1.7 or older and is accessible over the public internet, it is inherently exposed to remote, unauthenticated network traffic.

What should I do if I use the Hot Coffee theme?

First, verify if the Hot Coffee theme is currently installed and active on your systems. Once identified, evaluate the criticality of the site and prepare to update or replace the theme. Consult the official WordPress theme directory or vendor resources for the latest secure version to mitigate the risk of unauthorized server access.

References

Sources and related resources

Primary sources: NVD, CVE.org.

NVDPublished