CVE-2015-3300 in TheCartPress eCommerce Shopping Cart
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in the TheCartPress eCommerce Shopping Cart (aka The Professional WordPress eCommerce Plugin) plugin for WordPress before 1.3.9.3 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) billing_firstname, (2) billing_lastname, (3) billing_company, (4) billing_tax_id_number, (5) billing_city, (6) billing_street, (7) billing_street_2, (8) billing_postcode, (9) billing_telephone_1, (10) billing_telephone_2, (11) billing_fax, (12) shipping_firstname, (13) shipping_lastname, (14) shipping_company, (15) shipping_tax_id_number, (16) shipping_city, (17) shipping_street, (18) shipping_street_2, (19) shipping_postcode, (20) shipping_telephone_1, (21) shipping_telephone_2, (22) shipping_fax to shopping-cart/checkout/; (23) search_by parameter in the admin/AddressesList.php page to wp-admin/admin.php; (24) address_id, (25) address_name, (26) firstname, (27) lastname, (28) street, (29) city, (30) postcode, or (31) email parameter in the admin/AddressEdit.php page to wp-admin/admin.php; (32) post_id or (33) rel_type parameter in the admin/AssignedCategoriesList.php page to wp-admin/admin.php; or (34) post_type parameter in the admin/CustomFieldsList.php page to wp-admin/admin.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/06/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2015-3300 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting TheCartPress eCommerce plugin for WordPress versions prior to 1.3.9.3. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is one of the most prevalent and dangerous web application security issues. The flaw manifests across multiple input vectors within the plugin's administrative interface and frontend checkout processes, creating an extensive attack surface that could be exploited by remote attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of affected users' browsers.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output escaping mechanisms within the plugin's codebase. Attackers can inject malicious JavaScript code through various parameters including billing and shipping address fields, search functionality, and administrative editing pages. The affected parameters span across multiple data entry points including customer name fields, company information, address details, telephone numbers, and email addresses. This comprehensive exposure occurs because the plugin fails to properly sanitize user-supplied data before rendering it in web pages, allowing attackers to bypass security controls designed to prevent malicious code execution.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it enables attackers to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, and data manipulation. An attacker could inject scripts that steal administrator credentials, redirect users to malicious websites, or modify order information within the shopping cart system. The vulnerability affects both customer-facing checkout processes and administrative backend functionality, making it particularly dangerous for e-commerce operations. The attack vectors cover multiple administrative pages including AddressesList.php and AddressEdit.php, as well as AssignedCategoriesList.php and CustomFieldsList.php, indicating a systemic lack of proper input sanitization throughout the plugin's codebase.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for Initial Access through Valid Accounts, as compromised administrative sessions could lead to full system compromise. The vulnerability also relates to T1071.001 for Application Layer Protocol: Web Protocols, as it exploits HTTP request parameters to inject malicious content. Organizations using TheCartPress plugin versions prior to 1.3.9.3 face substantial risk of unauthorized access to their e-commerce systems, potentially leading to financial losses, customer data breaches, and reputational damage. The widespread use of WordPress and its plugins makes this type of vulnerability particularly dangerous as it could affect numerous websites simultaneously.
The recommended mitigation strategy involves immediate upgrading to TheCartPress plugin version 1.3.9.3 or later, which contains proper input validation and output escaping mechanisms. Administrators should also implement additional security measures including web application firewalls, regular security audits, and input validation at multiple layers. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper secure coding practices and the necessity of implementing comprehensive input sanitization across all user-facing parameters. Organizations should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify any other potentially affected plugins or custom code that may exhibit similar security flaws, as this represents a pattern of inadequate security controls that could lead to additional vulnerabilities in the broader WordPress ecosystem.