CVE-2025-31866 Overview
CVE-2025-31866 is a missing authorization vulnerability in the ShipDepot for WooCommerce WordPress plugin developed by Ship Depot. The flaw affects all versions from initial release through 1.2.19 and stems from incorrectly configured access control security levels. Authenticated users with low privileges can invoke plugin functionality that should require elevated permissions. The issue is classified under CWE-862: Missing Authorization and is reachable over the network without user interaction. Exploitation impacts availability of WooCommerce shipping functions but does not directly compromise confidentiality or integrity of stored data.
Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers with low-privilege WordPress accounts can access plugin functions that lack proper authorization checks, disrupting shipping operations on affected WooCommerce stores.
Affected Products
- ShipDepot for WooCommerce plugin (slug: ship-depot)
- All versions up to and including 1.2.19
- WordPress sites running WooCommerce with the affected plugin installed
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-04-01 - CVE-2025-31866 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-31866
Vulnerability Analysis
The ShipDepot for WooCommerce plugin exposes plugin actions without validating that the requesting user holds the required WordPress capability. WordPress plugins typically enforce authorization through current_user_can() checks combined with nonce verification. When these checks are absent or improperly scoped, any authenticated session can trigger sensitive actions. Because the plugin integrates with WooCommerce shipping workflows, unauthorized invocation can alter or interrupt order fulfillment processes. The vulnerability requires a valid low-privilege account such as a subscriber or customer, which are commonly issued on WooCommerce storefronts by default.
Root Cause
The root cause is a broken access control pattern where plugin endpoints or AJAX handlers do not verify the caller's role or capability before executing privileged logic. This is a classic [CWE-862] flaw where authorization enforcement is omitted rather than misimplemented. See the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for advisory details.
Attack Vector
An attacker registers or authenticates to a WordPress site running the vulnerable plugin. Using a standard low-privilege account, the attacker sends network requests to the unprotected plugin endpoint. The plugin executes the action without checking capabilities. No user interaction from an administrator is needed. Public verified exploit code is not currently available.
No verified proof-of-concept code has been published. Refer to the Patchstack advisory for further technical context.
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Stop Identity AttacksDetection Methods for CVE-2025-31866
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected requests from low-privilege user sessions to ShipDepot plugin AJAX endpoints or admin-ajax handlers
- Unusual modifications to shipping configurations, rates, or WooCommerce order shipping status outside of administrator activity
- Spikes in POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php referencing ship-depot actions from non-admin accounts
Detection Strategies
- Review WordPress and web server access logs for authenticated requests to ShipDepot endpoints originating from subscriber or customer roles
- Correlate WooCommerce audit logs with user role information to identify actions performed by accounts that should not have shipping privileges
- Deploy a web application firewall rule to flag requests to plugin action names when the session role is below shop_manager
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable a WordPress activity logging plugin to capture role-based action attribution
- Monitor the ShipDepot plugin version across managed sites and alert on installations at or below version 1.2.19
- Track newly created low-privilege user accounts followed by immediate API calls to plugin endpoints
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-31866
Immediate Actions Required
- Update the ShipDepot for WooCommerce plugin to a version later than 1.2.19 as soon as the vendor releases a patched build
- Audit existing WordPress user accounts and remove or downgrade any unnecessary low-privilege accounts
- Restrict new user registration on WooCommerce sites where customer accounts are not required for checkout
Patch Information
The vendor advisory tracked at Patchstack confirms the vulnerability affects versions through 1.2.19. Administrators should apply the latest available plugin update from the WordPress plugin repository once published.
Workarounds
- Disable the ShipDepot for WooCommerce plugin until an updated version is installed
- Deploy a web application firewall rule that blocks requests to ShipDepot AJAX actions from users lacking the manage_woocommerce capability
- Enforce two-factor authentication on all WordPress accounts to reduce the value of compromised low-privilege credentials
# Example WP-CLI commands to check plugin version and disable if vulnerable
wp plugin get ship-depot --field=version
wp plugin deactivate ship-depot
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
