CVE-2019-25152 in Abandoned Cart Lite for WooCommerce Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 06/22/2023
The Abandoned Cart Lite for WooCommerce and Abandoned Cart Pro for WooCommerce plugins for WordPress are vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via multiple parameters in versions up to, and including, 5.1.3 and 7.12.0 respectively, due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts in user input that will execute on the admin dashboard.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/16/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-25152 affects two popular WordPress plugins within the WooCommerce ecosystem, specifically the Abandoned Cart Lite and Abandoned Cart Pro variants. These plugins are designed to help e-commerce store owners recover lost sales by tracking customer cart abandonment and sending automated reminders. The flaw exists in versions up to and including 5.1.3 for the Lite version and 7.12.0 for the Pro version, representing a significant security risk for WordPress sites utilizing these plugins. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output escaping mechanisms within the plugin code, creating a persistent cross-site scripting attack vector that can be exploited by unauthenticated threat actors.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows attackers to inject malicious scripts through multiple parameters within the plugin's functionality. These parameters typically handle user input related to cart abandonment data, customer information, and administrative settings. The insufficient sanitization processes fail to properly filter or escape user-supplied data before it is stored and subsequently displayed in administrative interfaces. This stored XSS vulnerability means that malicious scripts injected by attackers are not only executed immediately upon submission but also persist in the database, executing every time administrators view the affected data in their dashboards. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it targets the admin interface directly, bypassing typical client-side security measures that users might have in place.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with potential access to sensitive administrative functions and user data. When administrators view the compromised data within their dashboard, the injected scripts execute in their browser context with full administrative privileges, potentially allowing attackers to modify plugin settings, extract customer information, manipulate cart data, or even escalate their access to full site compromise. This represents a critical threat to e-commerce operations where these plugins are commonly used, as the administrative interface typically contains sensitive business data and configuration settings. The vulnerability is particularly concerning given that it affects widely deployed plugins with potentially thousands of installations, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should focus on immediate plugin updates to versions that have addressed the input sanitization and output escaping flaws. Administrators should also implement additional monitoring of plugin directories and database entries for suspicious script injections, particularly in areas related to abandoned cart functionality. Network-based intrusion detection systems can be configured to monitor for known malicious script patterns in HTTP traffic to and from affected plugin endpoints. Organizations should consider implementing content security policies that restrict script execution within administrative interfaces, and maintain regular security audits of installed plugins to identify similar vulnerabilities. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and represents a technique commonly categorized under the ATT&CK framework as credential access through web application exploitation, where attackers leverage administrative interface access to gain broader system control.