CVE-2025-49042 Overview
CVE-2025-49042 is a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Automattic WooCommerce plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects all versions up to and including WooCommerce 10.0.2. An authenticated attacker with high privileges can inject persistent JavaScript payloads that execute in the browsers of other users who view affected pages. The issue is tracked under [CWE-79] and requires user interaction to trigger. Because the vulnerability crosses a security scope boundary, injected scripts can affect components beyond the vulnerable plugin itself.
Critical Impact
An authenticated attacker can store malicious scripts in WooCommerce that execute in the browsers of administrators or customers, enabling session theft, admin action hijacking, and content manipulation across the WordPress site.
Affected Products
- Automattic WooCommerce plugin for WordPress
- WooCommerce versions from initial release through 10.0.2
- WordPress sites running the vulnerable WooCommerce plugin
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-10-29 - CVE-2025-49042 published to the National Vulnerability Database
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-49042
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability stems from improper neutralization of user-supplied input during web page generation within the WooCommerce plugin. Input submitted through an administrative interface is stored in the database and later rendered without adequate output encoding or sanitization. When a victim loads the affected page, the browser parses the attacker-controlled markup as executable JavaScript.
Exploitation requires an authenticated account with high privileges and interaction from a victim user. However, the scope-changed nature of the flaw means injected scripts can act against the wider WordPress environment. Potential outcomes include theft of authenticated session cookies, forced administrative actions, arbitrary content injection into store pages, and pivoting to further site compromise through plugin management features.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing or insufficient output escaping when WooCommerce renders stored input fields back into administrative or storefront pages. WordPress provides escaping helpers such as esc_html(), esc_attr(), and wp_kses_post(), but the affected code paths do not apply them consistently. Attacker-supplied HTML and JavaScript therefore persist in the database and execute at render time.
Attack Vector
The attack vector is network-based and requires an authenticated privileged user to submit the malicious payload. A second user, typically an administrator or store operator, must then load the page containing the stored script. The payload executes with the victim's session context, inheriting their permissions within WordPress and WooCommerce. Refer to the Patchstack WooCommerce XSS advisory for additional technical detail.
No public proof-of-concept exploit is currently listed, and the EPSS score reflects a low probability of near-term exploitation.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-49042
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected <script>, <iframe>, or event-handler attributes stored in WooCommerce database tables such as wp_postmeta or wp_options.
- Administrative sessions issuing unexpected REST API calls or plugin configuration changes shortly after visiting WooCommerce admin pages.
- Outbound browser requests from admin sessions to attacker-controlled domains not associated with legitimate WooCommerce integrations.
Detection Strategies
- Audit WooCommerce-related database fields for HTML tags, javascript: URIs, and encoded payloads such as <script>.
- Deploy a web application firewall rule set that inspects POST bodies to WooCommerce administrative endpoints for XSS signatures.
- Enable a strict Content Security Policy (CSP) and monitor report-uri telemetry for inline script violations originating from store or admin pages.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Track WordPress audit logs for creation or modification of WooCommerce entities by high-privilege accounts.
- Alert on anomalous admin account activity, including new user creation, plugin installation, or theme file edits following a page view.
- Correlate browser telemetry with WordPress access logs to identify script-driven actions performed under administrator sessions.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-49042
Immediate Actions Required
- Upgrade WooCommerce to a version later than 10.0.2 as soon as the vendor-patched release is available on WordPress.org.
- Review and reduce the number of accounts holding administrator or shop-manager roles until the plugin is patched.
- Rotate credentials and invalidate active sessions for any privileged users who may have viewed affected pages.
Patch Information
Automattic addresses the flaw in WooCommerce releases published after version 10.0.2. Consult the Patchstack advisory for WooCommerce for the fixed version reference and apply the update through the WordPress plugin manager or WP-CLI.
Workarounds
- Restrict access to WooCommerce administrative interfaces using IP allowlists or VPN-only access.
- Deploy a WAF with rules that block script tags and event-handler attributes in requests to /wp-admin/ WooCommerce endpoints.
- Enforce a strict Content Security Policy that disallows inline scripts on WordPress admin and storefront pages.
# Update WooCommerce using WP-CLI once a patched release is available
wp plugin update woocommerce --version=<patched-version>
wp plugin list --name=woocommerce --fields=name,status,version
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.