dbcve.org
Missing AuthorizationWeakness · CWE-862

CVE-2020-36834

MEDIUM · 6.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-10-16
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
69/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The Discount Rules for WooCommerce plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to missing authorization via several AJAX actions in versions up to, and including, 2.0.2 due to missing capability checks on various functions. This makes it possible for subscriber-level attackers to execute various actions and perform a wide variety of actions such as modifying rules and saving configurations.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The Discount Rules for WooCommerce plugin versions up to 2.0.2 lacks capability checks on multiple AJAX action handlers, allowing authenticated users with subscriber-level privileges to execute administrative functions including modifying discount rules and saving configurations.

MitigationUpdate the plugin to version 2.0.3 or later which implements proper capability checks. Audit existing user accounts and remove unnecessary subscriber-level accounts until the patch is applied.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
Low

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify if the Discount Rules for WooCommerce plugin is installed
    Check the WordPress plugins directory or wp-admin plugins page for 'Discount Rules for WooCommerce' or 'flexible-shipping' related discount functionality. Look for files in wp-content/plugins/ containing 'discount-rules' or similar naming.
    Affected if The plugin is found installed in the WordPress environment
  2. Determine the installed plugin version
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and find the version number listed for 'Discount Rules for WooCommerce'. Alternatively, check the plugin's main PHP file header for the 'Version' tag.
    Affected if The installed version is 2.0.2 or lower, or any version prior to 2.0.3
  3. Check for active subscriber-level user accounts
    In WordPress admin, navigate to Users > All Users and review the list for accounts with the 'Subscriber' role. Note the number and purpose of these accounts.
    Affected if There are one or more active subscriber-level user accounts in the WordPress installation
  4. Verify AJAX actions are accessible without elevated privileges
    Inspect the plugin's JavaScript files or AJAX handlers in the plugin code. Look for wp_ajax_ or wp_ajax_nopriv_ hooks that process discount rule modifications or configuration saves. Test by submitting a request with a low-privilege subscriber account to known AJAX endpoints (such as those handling rule updates or settings saves).
    Affected if AJAX action handlers for discount rules or configuration do not perform capability checks (such as current_user_can('manage_options')) before executing sensitive operations

A user is affected if the Discount Rules for WooCommerce plugin version 2.0.2 or lower is installed AND the site has subscriber-level accounts that could access unauthenticated AJAX handlers lacking capability checks.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update the plugin to version 2.0.3 or later which implements proper capability checks. Audit existing user accounts and remove unnecessary subscriber-level accounts until the patch is applied.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Version 2.0.3 or later

  1. 1. Back up your WordPress site and database before making any changes
  2. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins in the WordPress admin dashboard
  3. 3. Find the 'Discount Rules for WooCommerce' plugin
  4. 4. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to install the latest version
  5. 5. After updating, verify that the plugin functions correctly with your WooCommerce store
  6. 6. Test that discount rules work as expected on your product pages

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.

Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-36834 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data