CVE-2024-4039 in Orders Tracking for WooCommerce Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 05/14/2024
The The Orders Tracking for WooCommerce plugin for WordPress for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary shortcode execution in all versions up to, and including, 1.2.10. This is due to the plugin allowing users to execute an action that does not properly validate a value before running do_shortcode. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary shortcodes. A partial patch was released in 1.2.10, and a complete patch was released in 1.2.11.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/24/2026
The vulnerability in the Orders Tracking for WooCommerce plugin represents a critical security flaw that enables unauthorized execution of arbitrary shortcodes within WordPress environments. This issue affects all versions up to and including 1.2.10, creating a persistent risk for WordPress sites that rely on this plugin for order tracking functionality. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation during the processing of user-controllable parameters that are subsequently passed to the do_shortcode function without proper sanitization or verification.
The technical implementation of this flaw demonstrates a classic injection vulnerability pattern where user-provided data flows directly into a shortcode execution context without adequate security controls. When the plugin processes certain requests, it accepts parameters that should be validated against expected values but instead passes them verbatim to WordPress's do_shortcode function. This creates an execution path where attackers can inject malicious shortcode content that gets processed and rendered within the target WordPress installation. The vulnerability specifically affects how the plugin handles shortcode parameters during order tracking operations, making it particularly dangerous for e-commerce sites where order information is frequently accessed.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple code execution to potentially compromise entire WordPress installations and their underlying data integrity. Unauthenticated attackers can exploit this weakness to execute arbitrary shortcodes that may include malicious payloads such as XSS attacks, privilege escalation attempts, or even remote code execution depending on the shortcode content. The vulnerability affects not only the plugin's core functionality but also the broader WordPress environment, potentially allowing attackers to gain unauthorized access to order data, customer information, and other sensitive business-critical data stored within the WooCommerce ecosystem.
Security practitioners should note this vulnerability maps directly to CWE-74, which describes weaknesses in external input validation, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.008 for execution through command and scripting interpreter. The partial patch released in version 1.2.10 addressed some aspects of the issue but did not fully resolve the underlying validation problem. A complete remediation was provided in version 1.2.11, which implemented proper input sanitization and validation mechanisms before any shortcode processing occurs. Organizations using this plugin should immediately upgrade to version 1.2.11 or later to ensure complete protection against this vulnerability. The attack surface for this issue is particularly concerning given that WooCommerce plugins are widely used across e-commerce platforms, making this vulnerability potentially exploitable on a large scale without proper patching and monitoring procedures in place.
The remediation approach required for this vulnerability emphasizes the importance of input validation and parameter sanitization within WordPress plugin development practices. Proper security implementation should include whitelisting acceptable shortcode parameters, implementing strict type checking, and ensuring all user-controllable inputs are properly validated before being processed by functions like do_shortcode. This case highlights the critical need for regular security audits of WordPress plugins and demonstrates how seemingly simple functionality can create significant security risks when proper validation controls are omitted from the development lifecycle.
Organizations should implement comprehensive monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts through unusual shortcode execution patterns or unexpected access to order tracking features. The vulnerability underscores the necessity of maintaining current plugin versions and establishing automated update procedures to prevent exploitation of known vulnerabilities. Additionally, network segmentation and application firewalls can provide additional layers of protection by limiting access to vulnerable endpoints and monitoring for suspicious shortcode execution activities that may indicate active exploitation attempts against this particular vulnerability.