CVE-2023-50850 - Missing Authorization Vulnerability in WooCommerce Subscriptions Allowing Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels

The open-source eCommerce plugin WooCommerce is known for its ease of use, flexibility, and extendability. WooCommerce Subscriptions, an extension for WooCommerce, offers features for handling recurring payments, subscription management, and more. Various vulnerabilities have plagued the plugin over time, and today, we will take a brief look at the Missing Authorization Vulnerability (CVE-2023-50850) in WooCommerce Subscriptions.

The vulnerability stems from insufficient permission checks, which could lead to unauthorized users exploiting incorrectly configured access control security levels. This post will go into detail about the exploit, provide code snippets, link to the original references, and lay out the affected versions.

Affected Versions

The CVE-2023-50850 vulnerability affects WooCommerce Subscriptions from the non-existent version before 5.8.. It's important to note that if you are running any of these versions, you should update your installation to the most recent, secure version as soon as possible.

Vulnerability Details

The core issue revolves around missing authorization in WooCommerce Subscriptions that enables exploiting incorrectly configured access control security levels. With lacking proper permission checks, certain actions can be performed by unauthorized users, potentially opening up sensitive information or impacting the store's functionality.

Exploit

Due to the missing authorization vulnerability, an attacker with enough knowledge could exploit the vulnerability by modifying a specific HTTP request or POST data to bypass the permission checks and access restricted functionality. Below is a code snippet demonstrating this scenario:

// An example of the vulnerable function
function woocommerce_subscriptions_handle_action() {
    //...
    // Here, there should be a permissions check to ensure proper access control
    //...

    // Handle the action
    switch( $action ) {
        case 'suspend':
            // Code to suspend a subscription
            break;
        case 'cancel':
            // Code to cancel a subscription
            break;
        //...
    }
}

To fix this vulnerability, an appropriate permission check should be added before allowing the user to perform any restricted actions. An example of how a check could be added to the code is shown below:

function woocommerce_subscriptions_handle_action() {
    //...
    // Check the user's capabilities or permissions
    if ( ! current_user_can( 'manage_woocommerce_subscriptions' ) ) {
        wp_die( 'Sorry, you are not allowed to access this feature.' );
    }

    // Handle the action
    switch( $action ) {
        case 'suspend':
            // Code to suspend a subscription
            break;
        case 'cancel':
            // Code to cancel a subscription
            break;
        //...
    }
}

Original References

- For complete information about the CVE-2023-50850 vulnerability, please refer to the official CVE page: CVE-2023-50850
- For more details on WooCommerce Subscriptions and the affected versions, you can head to the WooCommerce Subscriptions page: WooCommerce Subscriptions
- To access the patch or update your installation to a secure version, head to the WooCommerce Subscriptions Changelog: WooCommerce Subscriptions Changelog

Conclusion

It's crucial to patch and update your WooCommerce Subscriptions to the latest version to mitigate the potential risk posed by the CVE-2023-50850 vulnerability. Keep a close eye on updates and announcements to maintain the security and integrity of your WooCommerce store.

Timeline

Published on: 12/31/2024 13:15:06 UTC