CVE-2024-35726: WooBuddy Authorization Bypass Flaw

CVE-2024-35726 Overview

CVE-2024-35726 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability [CWE-862] in the ThemeKraft WooBuddy WordPress plugin. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 3.4.19. The plugin fails to enforce proper authorization checks on sensitive functionality, allowing authenticated users with low privileges to perform actions reserved for higher-privileged roles. Successful exploitation can compromise confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected WordPress site.

Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers with low privileges can bypass access controls in WooBuddy through version 3.4.19, leading to full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Affected Products

ThemeKraft WooBuddy plugin for WordPress
All versions from initial release through 3.4.19
WordPress sites using BuddyPress WooCommerce My Account Integration

Discovery Timeline

2024-06-10 - CVE-2024-35726 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-35726

Vulnerability Analysis

The WooBuddy plugin integrates WooCommerce account features with BuddyPress community pages. The vulnerability stems from missing authorization checks on plugin actions that should be restricted to administrators. An attacker holding any authenticated session, including low-privilege roles such as Subscriber or Customer, can invoke these actions over the network without additional user interaction.

The impact spans all three CIA properties. Attackers can read protected data, modify plugin or member configuration, and disrupt site availability. Because WooBuddy manages member pages and account integration, unauthorized changes can propagate across the WooCommerce storefront and BuddyPress community areas.

Root Cause

The root cause is a broken access control pattern [CWE-862]. Plugin request handlers do not verify the caller's capability using WordPress functions such as current_user_can(), nor do they validate nonces on privileged operations. Authorization is either absent or relies solely on the presence of a valid login session. This design allows any authenticated user to reach functionality that should require administrator privileges.

Attack Vector

Exploitation occurs over the network against the WordPress admin-ajax or REST endpoints exposed by WooBuddy. The attacker authenticates with any low-privilege account, then issues crafted HTTP requests to the vulnerable plugin actions. No social engineering is required. See the Patchstack Vulnerability Database Entry for endpoint-level technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-35726

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected changes to WooCommerce member pages or BuddyPress profile configuration performed by non-administrator accounts.
HTTP POST requests to admin-ajax.php referencing WooBuddy actions originating from Subscriber or Customer role sessions.
New or modified WordPress options and user meta associated with the wc4bp prefix outside of administrator activity.

Detection Strategies

Inventory installed WordPress plugins and flag any WooBuddy instance at version 3.4.19 or earlier.
Correlate web server access logs with WordPress user roles to identify low-privileged accounts invoking privileged plugin endpoints.
Review WordPress audit logs for capability-sensitive actions executed without a corresponding administrator session.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable a WordPress activity logging plugin to record user role, action, and source IP for all plugin operations.
Alert on requests to WooBuddy AJAX or REST routes when the authenticated user lacks the manage_options capability.
Baseline normal admin traffic patterns and trigger alerts on privileged actions from anomalous accounts or IP ranges.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-35726

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade WooBuddy to a version later than 3.4.19 as published by ThemeKraft.
Audit all WordPress user accounts and remove or downgrade unused low-privilege accounts that could be leveraged for exploitation.
Rotate credentials for any account showing suspicious activity against WooBuddy endpoints.

Patch Information

ThemeKraft addressed the missing authorization issue in a release after 3.4.19. Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Database Entry for the fixed version and vendor changelog. Apply the update in a staging environment first, then promote to production after validating WooCommerce and BuddyPress integrations.

Workarounds

Deactivate the WooBuddy plugin until the patched version is deployed if immediate updating is not feasible.
Restrict access to wp-admin and admin-ajax.php using web application firewall rules that require administrator IP allowlists.
Disable open user registration on the WordPress site to reduce the pool of accounts that can reach the vulnerable endpoints.

bash

# Verify installed WooBuddy version via WP-CLI
wp plugin get wc4bp --field=version

# Update WooBuddy to the latest patched release
wp plugin update wc4bp

# Disable open registration as a hardening measure
wp option update users_can_register 0