CVE-2024-35728: PPOM for WooCommerce RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2024-35728 Overview

CVE-2024-35728 is a content injection vulnerability in the Themeisle PPOM for WooCommerce plugin for WordPress. The flaw stems from improper neutralization of special elements in output passed to a downstream component, classified as [CWE-74]. Attackers can exploit this weakness remotely without authentication or user interaction to inject unauthorized content into affected WooCommerce sites. The issue affects all plugin versions up to and including 32.0.20. Site operators using the plugin for product customization and add-on fields face integrity risks until they upgrade to a patched release.

Critical Impact
Unauthenticated remote attackers can inject content into WooCommerce sites running vulnerable versions of the PPOM plugin, affecting data integrity on product pages and checkout flows.

Affected Products

Themeisle PPOM for WooCommerce (Product Addons & Fields for WooCommerce)
All plugin versions from initial release through 32.0.20
WordPress sites running WooCommerce with the plugin installed

Discovery Timeline

2024-06-10 - CVE-2024-35728 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-35728

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in how the PPOM for WooCommerce plugin handles special characters before passing data to a downstream component. The plugin fails to properly neutralize input, which allows an attacker to inject crafted payloads that influence the interpretation of downstream output. The Patchstack advisory categorizes this as a content injection issue, meaning the attacker can control portions of rendered content on the affected store. The scope is limited to integrity impact; the flaw does not directly disclose confidential data or degrade availability. Store administrators should treat the issue as a supply-chain risk affecting the WooCommerce checkout and product configuration surface.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing or insufficient input sanitization on parameters processed by the plugin before those parameters reach a downstream rendering or storage component. Because the plugin trusts attacker-controlled input, injected sequences are treated as structural elements rather than inert data. This maps directly to [CWE-74], the general class of injection weaknesses arising from improper neutralization of special elements.

Attack Vector

An unauthenticated attacker sends a crafted HTTP request to a vulnerable endpoint exposed by the PPOM plugin. No privileges or user interaction are required. Successful exploitation results in injection of attacker-controlled content into the downstream processing path. Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for exploitation specifics.

No verified public proof-of-concept code is available at the time of writing. Administrators should not delay patching while waiting for exploit details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-35728

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected content, redirects, or markup appearing on WooCommerce product pages using PPOM fields
Anomalous POST requests targeting PPOM plugin endpoints from unauthenticated sources
WordPress option or post metadata entries containing unexpected characters or embedded payloads tied to PPOM fields

Detection Strategies

Inventory WordPress installations and identify sites running PPOM for WooCommerce version 32.0.20 or earlier
Review web server access logs for high-volume or malformed requests to plugin URLs under /wp-content/plugins/woocommerce-product-addon/
Compare rendered product page content against known-good baselines to spot injected elements

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable a web application firewall with signatures for WordPress plugin injection attempts
Alert on modifications to WooCommerce product configuration data outside of administrator-initiated changes
Track outbound requests originating from checkout pages to catch injected third-party resources

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-35728

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade PPOM for WooCommerce to a version later than 32.0.20 as soon as the vendor patch is available in the WordPress plugin repository
Audit WooCommerce product fields and stored PPOM configuration for injected content
Restrict administrative access to WordPress and rotate credentials if suspicious activity is observed

Patch Information

Themeisle addresses the vulnerability in releases following 32.0.20. Review the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for the fixed version and upgrade instructions. Apply the update through the WordPress admin plugins screen or via WP-CLI.

Workarounds

Deactivate the PPOM for WooCommerce plugin until a patched version is installed if immediate upgrade is not feasible
Deploy WAF rules to filter requests containing injection payloads directed at PPOM endpoints
Limit exposure of the WooCommerce store to trusted networks during remediation windows

bash

# Upgrade PPOM for WooCommerce using WP-CLI
wp plugin update woocommerce-product-addon

# Verify installed version
wp plugin get woocommerce-product-addon --field=version