dbcve.org
Missing AuthorizationWeakness · CWE-862

CVE-2021-4444

HIGH · 7.3 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 →
82/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 Product Filter by WooBeWoo plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authorization bypass in versions up to, and including 1.4.9 due to missing authorization checks on various functions. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to perform unauthorized actions such as creating new filters and injecting malicious javascript into a vulnerable site. This was actively exploited at the time of discovery.

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 Product Filter by WooBeWoo WordPress plugin versions up to 1.4.9 lacks proper authorization checks on multiple AJAX functions, allowing unauthenticated attackers to bypass access controls. This enables creation of arbitrary filters and injection of malicious JavaScript into the vulnerable site.

MitigationUpdate the plugin to version 1.4.10 or later which implements proper authorization validation. Audit the site for indicators of compromise given active exploitation.

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
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
Low

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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. Confirm the plugin is installed
    Log into the WordPress admin dashboard and navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. Look for 'Product Filter by WooBeWoo' in the list of active plugins.
    Affected if The plugin appears in the list of installed plugins, indicating the software is present in the environment.
  2. Check the installed version number
    In the Plugins list, locate the 'Product Filter by WooBeWoo' entry and note the version number displayed beneath the plugin name. Compare this version against the affected range (versions up to and including 1.4.9).
    Affected if The installed version is 1.4.9 or earlier, placing it within the vulnerable version range.
  3. Verify AJAX endpoints are exposed
    Test whether the plugin AJAX actions are accessible without authentication by making a direct HTTP request to the WordPress admin-ajax.php endpoint with the plugin's action parameters. Common vulnerable actions may include filter creation or management functions.
    Affected if The AJAX endpoints respond without requiring authentication, confirming the authorization bypass is present.
  4. Inspect for unauthorized filters
    Navigate to the plugin settings page (typically under WooCommerce > Product Filter or similar) and review the list of created filters. Check for any filters that were not created by legitimate administrators.
    Affected if Unexpected or unauthorized filters exist in the system, indicating potential exploitation.
  5. Scan for injected JavaScript
    Examine the site's pages, particularly filter-related output, using the browser developer tools or by viewing page source. Look for suspicious script tags, external resource links, or malicious code injected into filter templates or product pages.
    Affected if Malicious JavaScript code is found embedded in filter outputs or site pages.

The environment is affected if the Product Filter by WooBeWoo plugin is installed at version 1.4.9 or earlier, or if unauthorized filters or malicious scripts are detected even after a version update.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update the plugin to version 1.4.10 or later which implements proper authorization validation. Audit the site for indicators of compromise given active exploitation.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,970
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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-2021-4444 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