CVE-2015-2069 in Woocommerce
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the WooCommerce plugin before 2.2.11 for WordPress allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the QUERY_STRING in the wc-reports page to wp-admin/admin.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/16/2022
The CVE-2015-2069 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw in the WooCommerce plugin for WordPress, specifically affecting versions prior to 2.2.11. This vulnerability resides within the wc-reports page functionality located at wp-admin/admin.php, where the application fails to properly sanitize user input from the QUERY_STRING parameter. The flaw allows remote attackers to execute malicious web scripts or HTML code within the context of a victim's browser session, potentially leading to unauthorized actions performed on behalf of authenticated users. The vulnerability's exploitation occurs when attackers craft malicious URLs containing script payloads in the query string parameters that are then processed by the WooCommerce reporting functionality without adequate input validation or output encoding measures.
This XSS vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, specifically representing a reflected XSS attack vector where malicious input is immediately reflected back to the user without proper sanitization. The attack vector operates through the WordPress admin interface, making it particularly dangerous as it can target authenticated administrators or users with elevated privileges. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that it affects a widely deployed plugin with over 10 million installations, providing attackers with a broad attack surface. The specific location at wp-admin/admin.php indicates that this vulnerability targets administrative functionality, potentially allowing attackers to escalate privileges or perform unauthorized administrative actions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal administrator credentials, manipulate backend functionality, or redirect users to malicious websites. When combined with other attack vectors, this XSS flaw can serve as a stepping stone for more sophisticated attacks such as privilege escalation or data exfiltration. The vulnerability's presence in the WooCommerce reporting module means that any user with access to the admin panel could potentially be compromised, as the malicious scripts would execute within the context of the victim's authenticated session. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to modify product listings, manipulate orders, or gain unauthorized access to sensitive financial data stored within the WordPress/WooCommerce ecosystem.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-2069 primarily involve immediate patching of the WooCommerce plugin to version 2.2.11 or later, which includes proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation measures at multiple layers including application-level filtering, proper HTML escaping for output rendering, and Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to prevent script execution. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls can provide additional defense-in-depth measures, while security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual query string patterns or known malicious payloads. Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify similar issues in other plugins or custom code, as the attack surface for reflected XSS vulnerabilities remains significant in content management systems. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and output encoding practices in web applications, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1213 for credential access and T1566 for social engineering through malicious web content.