CVE-2024-31098: WooCommerce Plugin Auth Bypass Flaw

CVE-2024-31098 Overview

CVE-2024-31098 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability [CWE-862] in the New Order Notification for WooCommerce plugin by Mr.Ebabi. The flaw affects all plugin versions up to and including 2.0.2. An authenticated attacker with low privileges can abuse broken access control checks to reach functionality that should be restricted to higher-privilege roles. Successful exploitation impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected WordPress site.

Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers with low-privilege accounts can bypass authorization checks in the New Order Notification for WooCommerce plugin, leading to full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability on affected WordPress installations.

Affected Products

New Order Notification for WooCommerce plugin versions up to and including 2.0.2
WordPress sites running WooCommerce with the vulnerable plugin installed
All hosting environments exposing the plugin's endpoints to authenticated users

Discovery Timeline

2024-06-09 - CVE-2024-31098 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-31098

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability stems from missing authorization checks in the New Order Notification for WooCommerce plugin. The plugin exposes functionality without properly verifying that the requesting user holds the required capability or role. An attacker with any authenticated session, including low-privileged accounts such as subscriber or customer, can invoke restricted actions.

Because the plugin sits inside a WooCommerce storefront, attacker-accessible accounts are typically abundant. Customer registration is often open by design. This lowers the barrier to exploitation significantly. The impact spans data access, data modification, and disruption of the notification workflow tied to order processing.

Root Cause

The root cause is a broken access control pattern classified as [CWE-862] Missing Authorization. Plugin action handlers do not call WordPress capability checks such as current_user_can() or validate nonces with check_admin_referer() before performing sensitive operations. Any authenticated request that reaches the vulnerable handler is executed with the plugin's intended privileges.

Attack Vector

Exploitation occurs over the network against the WordPress admin-ajax or REST endpoints registered by the plugin. The attacker authenticates using any valid low-privilege account, then issues crafted HTTP requests to the plugin's handlers. No user interaction is required beyond the attacker's own session. Refer to the Patchstack advisory for technical details on the affected endpoints.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-31098

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected POST requests to admin-ajax.php originating from low-privilege accounts referencing the plugin's action names
Modifications to WooCommerce notification settings performed by non-administrator users
New or altered administrator accounts created shortly after suspicious plugin endpoint activity
Outbound email or webhook traffic to attacker-controlled destinations from the WordPress host

Detection Strategies

Audit WordPress access logs for authenticated requests to plugin endpoints made by users lacking manage_options capability
Correlate WooCommerce order events with plugin configuration changes performed outside administrator sessions
Deploy web application firewall rules that inspect the action parameter for plugin-specific handlers and require role validation

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable WordPress audit logging to track capability-sensitive actions and identify calls made without proper role
Monitor plugin file integrity and installed version to confirm patched builds are deployed across all sites
Alert on registration spikes of subscriber or customer accounts followed by requests to /wp-admin/ endpoints

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-31098

Immediate Actions Required

Update the New Order Notification for WooCommerce plugin to a version later than 2.0.2 once a fixed release is available
Deactivate and remove the plugin if a patched version is not available for the deployed site
Restrict new user registration or set the default role to the most limited privilege available in WooCommerce settings
Review recent activity logs for signs of exploitation by authenticated low-privilege accounts

Patch Information

Consult the Patchstack advisory for the current fixed version and remediation guidance. Apply the vendor-provided update through the WordPress plugin manager and verify the installed version after upgrade.

Workarounds

Block access to the plugin's AJAX and REST endpoints at the web application firewall for any user role below shop_manager
Disable the plugin until a verified patch is applied to affected sites
Force password resets and audit administrator accounts if suspicious activity is observed

bash

# Configuration example: restrict plugin endpoint via .htaccess until patched
# Deny access to the vulnerable admin-ajax action from unauthenticated and low-privilege sessions
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
  RewriteEngine On
  RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} action=new_order_notification [NC]
  RewriteRule ^wp-admin/admin-ajax\.php$ - [F,L]
</IfModule>