CVE-2015-2329 in WooCommerce plugin
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the WooCommerce plugin before 2.3.6 for WordPress allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted order.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/03/2020
The CVE-2015-2329 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in the popular WooCommerce e-commerce plugin for WordPress. This vulnerability existed in versions prior to 2.3.6 and created a significant security risk for online stores that relied on the plugin for their commerce operations. The flaw allowed remote attackers to inject malicious web scripts or HTML code through crafted order submissions, potentially compromising the integrity of the entire e-commerce platform and the sensitive data of customers and administrators.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output sanitization within the WooCommerce plugin's order processing functionality. When users submitted orders through the affected plugin versions, the system failed to properly sanitize user-supplied data before rendering it in web pages. This classic XSS vulnerability occurred because the plugin did not implement proper encoding or filtering mechanisms to prevent malicious scripts from being executed in the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability specifically targeted the order management interface where user-generated content was displayed without sufficient security measures.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-2329 was substantial for businesses utilizing WooCommerce, as it could lead to various malicious activities including session hijacking, data theft, and unauthorized administrative actions. Attackers could exploit this vulnerability to steal customer information such as credit card details, personal identification data, and login credentials stored in the WordPress database. The vulnerability also enabled attackers to modify order details, potentially altering transaction amounts or redirecting payments to malicious accounts. Additionally, the XSS flaw could be used to deface the online store, disrupt business operations, and damage the reputation of affected organizations.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in software applications. The weakness falls under the category of insufficient output escaping or encoding, where applications fail to properly escape special characters in user input before rendering it in web pages. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving command and control communication and credential access through web application exploitation. The attack chain typically begins with reconnaissance to identify vulnerable WooCommerce installations, followed by crafting malicious order data containing embedded scripts, and concluding with the execution of malicious code in victim browsers. Organizations should have implemented proper patch management procedures and regular security assessments to identify and remediate such vulnerabilities before they could be exploited by threat actors.
The remediation for CVE-2015-2329 required immediate upgrading of the WooCommerce plugin to version 2.3.6 or later, which included proper input validation and output sanitization measures. Security professionals recommended implementing additional protective measures such as web application firewalls, content security policies, and regular security audits to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in other components of the WordPress ecosystem. Organizations also needed to establish robust monitoring procedures to detect unusual order processing patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The incident highlighted the importance of maintaining up-to-date software components and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect web applications from common exploitation vectors.