CVE-2020-29156 in WooCommerce Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 12/28/2020
The WooCommerce plugin before 4.7.0 for WordPress allows remote attackers to view the status of arbitrary orders via the order_id parameter in a fetch_order_status action.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/28/2026
This vulnerability exists within the WooCommerce plugin for WordPress affecting versions prior to 4.7.0, representing a critical access control flaw that enables unauthorized remote exploitation. The issue stems from insufficient input validation and authorization checks within the fetch_order_status action handler, which processes order_id parameters without proper verification of user permissions or ownership constraints. Attackers can manipulate the order_id parameter to request status information for orders they do not own, effectively bypassing the intended security boundaries that should restrict order visibility to authorized parties such as store owners, administrators, or legitimate customers.
The technical implementation of this flaw demonstrates a classic privilege escalation vulnerability where the application fails to perform adequate authentication checks before exposing sensitive order data. The fetch_order_status endpoint operates under the assumption that any valid order_id parameter corresponds to an order the requesting user should be able to access, without verifying whether the authenticated user possesses legitimate rights to view that specific order. This represents a violation of the principle of least privilege and directly relates to CWE-285 which addresses improper authorization in software applications.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability exposes significant business risks including customer privacy breaches, competitive intelligence theft, and potential financial fraud. An attacker could systematically enumerate orders across a store to gather information about customer purchasing patterns, order volumes, and potentially identify high-value customers for targeted attacks. The impact extends beyond simple data exposure as it undermines the fundamental trust model of e-commerce platforms where customer order confidentiality is paramount. The vulnerability can be exploited through various attack vectors including direct api calls, web application penetration testing tools, or by crafting malicious links that leverage the exposed functionality.
The security implications align with multiple ATT&CK techniques including T1083 (File and Directory Discovery) and T1213 (Data from Information Repositories) as attackers can systematically harvest order information from the compromised system. Organizations may face compliance violations under regulations such as gdpr, pci dss, and other data protection frameworks due to unauthorized access to customer order information that contains personal and financial details. The vulnerability also creates opportunities for further attack escalation where order data could be used to identify customers for social engineering attacks or to plan more sophisticated breaches targeting specific user accounts.
Mitigation strategies must include immediate plugin updates to version 4.7.0 or later where the authorization checks have been properly implemented. Organizations should also implement additional network-level controls such as rate limiting on api endpoints, monitoring for unusual order status requests, and implementing proper web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious parameter manipulation patterns. The fix typically involves adding robust user authentication checks before processing any order_id parameter, ensuring that the requesting user has legitimate authorization to access the specified order data through proper session validation and role-based access controls. Additional defensive measures include logging all order status requests for security monitoring purposes and implementing proper input sanitization to prevent injection attacks that could compound this vulnerability.