CVE-2025-46243 Overview
CVE-2025-46243 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the Recover abandoned cart for WooCommerce WordPress plugin developed by sonalsinha21 (sktthemes). The flaw affects all versions up to and including 2.2. An attacker can craft a malicious web page that triggers privileged actions inside the plugin when an authenticated WordPress administrator visits the attacker-controlled content. The weakness is classified under CWE-352 and stems from missing or improper anti-CSRF token validation on state-changing requests.
Critical Impact
Successful exploitation can lead to high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability of WooCommerce stores running the vulnerable plugin, as administrative actions can be forged via authenticated victim browsers.
Affected Products
- sktthemes Recover abandoned cart for WooCommerce plugin
- Plugin slug recover-wc-abandoned-cart versions from n/a through 2.2
- WordPress sites running WooCommerce with the vulnerable plugin installed
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-04-22 - CVE-2025-46243 published to NVD
- 2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-46243
Vulnerability Analysis
The plugin exposes state-changing endpoints that do not verify the origin or authenticity of incoming requests through a WordPress nonce or equivalent anti-CSRF token. When a logged-in WordPress administrator visits a malicious page or follows a crafted link, the browser automatically submits the attacker's request along with valid session cookies. The plugin processes the request as if it came from the legitimate administrator.
Because the plugin manages abandoned cart recovery, forged actions can manipulate plugin settings, recovery emails, or stored configuration data tied to WooCommerce customer interactions. The user interaction requirement is satisfied by any administrator-initiated page load, making the bar for exploitation low once social engineering is involved.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing CSRF protection on plugin handlers. WordPress provides wp_nonce_field() and check_admin_referer() / wp_verify_nonce() for this purpose, but the vulnerable handlers in versions through 2.2 do not enforce nonce validation before executing privileged actions. This omission allows cross-origin requests to invoke sensitive functionality.
Attack Vector
Exploitation is network-based and requires user interaction from a privileged WordPress user. An attacker hosts a page containing a forged <form> or JavaScript-driven request that targets the plugin endpoint. When an authenticated administrator visits the attacker-controlled URL, the browser submits the request to the WordPress site, and the plugin executes it under the administrator's session.
No verified public proof-of-concept exploit code is available. Technical details are documented in the Patchstack Vulnerability Advisory.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-46243
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected modifications to Recover Abandoned Cart plugin settings or email templates in the WordPress admin area
- HTTP POST requests to /wp-admin/admin.php or plugin handlers with Referer headers pointing to external, untrusted domains
- WooCommerce or plugin audit log entries showing administrative changes that do not match known admin activity windows
Detection Strategies
- Inspect web server access logs for requests to plugin admin endpoints originating with off-site Referer or Origin headers
- Enable a WordPress audit logging plugin to record configuration changes made by administrator accounts
- Correlate browser session activity with administrator logins to spot requests issued during periods of normal browsing rather than active admin work
Monitoring Recommendations
- Monitor for installations of recover-wc-abandoned-cart at version <= 2.2 across managed WordPress estates
- Alert on outbound email volume spikes from WooCommerce stores, which may indicate forged recovery campaigns
- Track plugin file integrity and configuration drift using file integrity monitoring (FIM) tooling
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-46243
Immediate Actions Required
- Identify all WordPress sites running the Recover abandoned cart for WooCommerce plugin and confirm the installed version
- Update the plugin to a version newer than 2.2 once the vendor publishes a fixed release, or deactivate and remove it until a patch is available
- Require WordPress administrators to log out of admin sessions when browsing untrusted sites and to use a dedicated admin browser profile
Patch Information
At the time of NVD publication, the advisory lists affected versions through <= 2.2 with no fixed version documented in the enriched data. Review the Patchstack Vulnerability Advisory for the most current fix status and apply updates from the WordPress plugin repository when available.
Workarounds
- Deactivate the recover-wc-abandoned-cart plugin until a patched release is installed
- Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule that blocks requests to plugin endpoints lacking a same-origin Referer or valid nonce parameter
- Restrict WordPress admin access by IP allowlist at the web server or WAF layer to reduce exposure of administrator sessions
# Example: disable the vulnerable plugin via WP-CLI until a patch is released
wp plugin deactivate recover-wc-abandoned-cart
wp plugin status recover-wc-abandoned-cart
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
