CVE-2023-52223 in WooCommerce Integration Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 02/28/2024
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in MailerLite MailerLite – WooCommerce integration.This issue affects MailerLite – WooCommerce integration: from n/a through 2.0.8.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/18/2025
The CVE-2023-52223 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the MailerLite WooCommerce integration plugin, which operates as a bridge between the MailerLite email marketing platform and WooCommerce e-commerce systems. This vulnerability enables attackers to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users who visit malicious websites or are tricked into clicking harmful links. The issue specifically impacts versions of the plugin ranging from the initial release through version 2.0.8, indicating a prolonged window of exposure where users remained susceptible to exploitation. The vulnerability manifests when the plugin fails to properly validate and verify the authenticity of cross-site requests, allowing malicious actors to manipulate user sessions and execute unintended administrative functions.
The technical flaw stems from inadequate implementation of anti-CSRF protection mechanisms within the plugin's request handling processes. When users access the WooCommerce admin panel while logged in, the plugin should verify that requests originate from legitimate sources within the same domain and context. However, the absence of proper CSRF tokens or validation checks means that attackers can craft malicious requests that appear to come from authenticated users. This weakness allows exploitation through various attack vectors including phishing campaigns, compromised websites, or social engineering tactics where users are诱导 to perform actions without their knowledge. The vulnerability specifically targets the integration layer between MailerLite's email marketing capabilities and WooCommerce's administrative functions, potentially enabling attackers to modify customer data, alter email campaign settings, or manipulate subscription lists.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation, potentially compromising the integrity of customer communications and business operations within WooCommerce stores. Attackers could leverage this flaw to modify email subscription lists, alter marketing campaign parameters, or even redirect customer communications to malicious endpoints. The consequences are particularly severe for businesses relying on MailerLite for customer engagement and automated email sequences, as compromised integrations could lead to data breaches, loss of customer trust, and potential regulatory compliance violations. Organizations using WooCommerce stores with MailerLite integration face significant risk of unauthorized modifications to their email marketing infrastructure, which could disrupt business operations and compromise sensitive customer information. The vulnerability also poses risks to the broader WooCommerce ecosystem, as compromised integrations can serve as entry points for more extensive attacks on the entire e-commerce platform.
Security professionals should implement immediate mitigation strategies including updating to the latest plugin version where the vulnerability has been patched, implementing additional web application firewall rules to detect and block suspicious cross-site requests, and conducting thorough security assessments of all integrated email marketing tools. Organizations should also review their current access controls and user permissions to minimize potential damage from successful exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery weaknesses in web applications, and corresponds to ATT&CK technique T1566 for social engineering attacks and T1071 for application layer protocols. Regular security monitoring and user education regarding suspicious website interactions remain critical components of defense strategies against such vulnerabilities. The incident underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date security practices in e-commerce ecosystems where third-party integrations can create additional attack surfaces requiring careful security management and continuous monitoring.