CVE-2024-50421 in WooCommerce PDF Invoices & Packing Slips Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 10/30/2024
Missing Authorization vulnerability in WP Overnight WooCommerce PDF Invoices & Packing Slips woocommerce-pdf-invoices-packing-slips allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.This issue affects WooCommerce PDF Invoices & Packing Slips: from n/a through <= 3.8.6.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/07/2026
The CVE-2024-50421 vulnerability represents a critical missing authorization flaw within the WP Overnight WooCommerce PDF Invoices & Packing Slips plugin, which is widely used for generating and managing WooCommerce order documentation. This vulnerability specifically targets the access control mechanisms that should prevent unauthorized users from accessing sensitive invoice and packing slip data. The flaw exists in plugin versions ranging from the initial release through version 3.8.6, indicating a long-standing security issue that has not been properly addressed. The vulnerability falls under the category of incorrect access control configuration, which is classified as CWE-285 in the Common Weakness Enumeration catalog, representing one of the most prevalent and dangerous security misconfigurations in web applications.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate authorization checks within the plugin's codebase, where the system fails to properly verify user permissions before serving PDF invoice and packing slip documents. Attackers can exploit this weakness by directly accessing the plugin's endpoints without proper authentication, potentially gaining access to confidential customer information including order details, shipping addresses, and financial data. This misconfiguration allows unauthenticated or unauthorized users to bypass the standard WooCommerce access controls that typically restrict such sensitive data to legitimate store administrators and authorized personnel. The vulnerability essentially creates a backdoor that enables attackers to retrieve sensitive business and customer information through direct URL manipulation or API endpoint access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, as it can lead to significant financial and reputational damage for affected businesses. When attackers can access customer order information, they gain insights into purchasing patterns, customer demographics, and business operations that can be exploited for identity theft, fraud, or targeted attacks. The vulnerability particularly affects e-commerce businesses that rely on WooCommerce for their operations, as the exposed data includes complete order histories, customer contact information, and shipping details. This exposure creates opportunities for social engineering attacks, competitive intelligence gathering, and potential regulatory violations under data protection laws such as gdpr and ccpa, which mandate proper access controls and data protection measures.
Organizations should immediately implement multiple layers of mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability. The primary recommendation is to update the affected plugin to version 3.8.7 or later, which contains the necessary authorization fixes. Additionally, system administrators should conduct thorough access control reviews to ensure that no other plugins or components in the WooCommerce ecosystem have similar misconfigurations. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls can provide additional monitoring and blocking capabilities for suspicious access patterns. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213.002 for data from information repositories, as attackers can harvest sensitive data through improperly secured access points. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be implemented to identify and remediate similar access control issues across the entire web application stack. Organizations must also consider implementing proper logging and monitoring of access attempts to detect potential exploitation attempts. The incident underscores the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security practices and proper access control configurations, particularly in e-commerce environments where sensitive financial and personal data is routinely processed and stored.