CVE-2024-43312 Overview
CVE-2024-43312 is a missing authorization vulnerability in the WPClever WPC Frequently Bought Together for WooCommerce WordPress plugin. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 7.1.9. The plugin fails to enforce proper access control checks on sensitive functionality, allowing authenticated users with low privileges to invoke actions that should be restricted to administrators. The weakness is categorized under CWE-862: Missing Authorization.
Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers with low-level privileges can exploit incorrectly configured access control to compromise confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the WooCommerce store.
Affected Products
- WPClever WPC Frequently Bought Together for WooCommerce versions up to and including 7.1.9
- WordPress sites running the plugin in the free distribution channel
- WooCommerce installations depending on the plugin for bundle recommendations
Discovery Timeline
- 2024-11-01 - CVE-2024-43312 published to the National Vulnerability Database
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2024-43312
Vulnerability Analysis
The plugin exposes one or more privileged actions without verifying that the requesting user holds the correct WordPress capability. An attacker authenticated as a low-privileged user, such as a subscriber or customer, can invoke these endpoints directly. Because WooCommerce sites routinely allow customer registration, the barrier to reaching the vulnerable code paths is minimal.
Exploitation does not require user interaction and can be performed remotely over the network. Successful exploitation impacts data confidentiality by exposing plugin-managed data, integrity by allowing unauthorized state changes, and availability by permitting configuration or content manipulation that disrupts store operations.
Root Cause
The root cause is the absence of capability checks such as current_user_can() and missing nonce validation via check_ajax_referer() on privileged handlers. The plugin registers AJAX or admin-post callbacks that assume the caller is an administrator but perform no server-side authorization enforcement. This is a classic broken access control pattern described in CWE-862.
Attack Vector
The attack vector is network-based and requires only low-level authentication. An attacker registers or uses an existing low-privileged account, then sends crafted HTTP requests to the plugin's unprotected endpoints. Because the endpoints trust the request without validating user role or nonce, the server executes the privileged action. Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for additional technical detail.
Detection Methods for CVE-2024-43312
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected POST requests from authenticated non-admin users to plugin AJAX endpoints under /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php referencing wpc_frequently_bought_together actions.
- Unauthorized modifications to WooCommerce product bundle configurations or plugin settings without corresponding admin session activity.
- New or altered product recommendation records created by user accounts lacking manage_woocommerce capability.
Detection Strategies
- Audit WordPress access logs for repeated calls to plugin endpoints originating from customer or subscriber accounts.
- Correlate authenticated session IDs against the WordPress user role table to flag privilege inconsistencies.
- Deploy a Web Application Firewall rule that inspects admin-ajax.php requests and blocks non-admin roles from invoking plugin management actions.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable WordPress action and audit logging with a plugin such as WP Activity Log to capture role-privileged actions.
- Forward web server and application logs to a centralized SIEM for anomaly detection on plugin endpoints.
- Alert on any change to plugin configuration outside of administrator-authenticated sessions.
How to Mitigate CVE-2024-43312
Immediate Actions Required
- Update WPC Frequently Bought Together for WooCommerce to a version later than 7.1.9 as soon as the vendor releases a fixed release.
- Restrict user registration on WooCommerce sites where public account creation is not required.
- Review existing low-privileged accounts for suspicious activity and reset credentials where compromise is suspected.
Patch Information
Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for vendor patch status. Administrators should confirm the installed version is above 7.1.9 and monitor the WordPress plugin directory for a fixed release.
Workarounds
- Temporarily deactivate the plugin until a patched version is deployed if the store can operate without frequently-bought-together recommendations.
- Deploy a virtual patch through a WAF rule that blocks non-admin roles from invoking plugin management AJAX actions.
- Enforce two-factor authentication on all WordPress accounts to raise the cost of exploiting low-privileged access.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
