dbcve.org
Woocommerce PaymentsWordPress extension · Automattic

CVE-2023-28121

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-04-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.8.2 / 5.0.4 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
High EPSS 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
An issue in WooCommerce Payments plugin for WordPress (versions 5.6.1 and lower) allows an unauthenticated attacker to send requests on behalf of an elevated user, like administrator. This allows a remote, unauthenticated attacker to gain admin access on a site that has the affected version of the plugin activated.

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 WooCommerce Payments plugin for WordPress versions 5.6.1 and lower contains an authentication/authorization bypass vulnerability that allows unauthenticated remote attackers to send requests on behalf of elevated users such as administrators. This is likely due to missing or improper validation of user identity in certain API endpoints, enabling complete admin access without credentials.

MitigationUpdate WooCommerce Payments plugin to version 5.7.0 or higher immediately. As an interim measure, consider deactivating the plugin if immediate updating is not possible, as the vulnerability is being actively exploited.

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

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Woocommerce PaymentsWordPress extension
Affected:>= 4.8.0, < 4.8.2>= 5.0.0, < 5.0.4>= 5.1.0, < 5.1.3>= 5.2.0, < 5.2.2>= 5.5.0, < 5.5.2
WoopaymentsWordPress extension
Affected:>= 5.6.0, < 5.6.2= 4.9.0= 5.3.0= 5.4.0

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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

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. Verify WooCommerce Payments plugin is installed
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'WooPayments' or 'WooCommerce Payments' in the list. Alternatively, check for the plugin directory in wp-content/plugins/
    Affected if The plugin is installed and active
  2. Check the installed plugin version
    In WordPress admin Plugins page, click on the plugin name to view details, or check the plugin main file header for 'Version:' value. In the filesystem, open wp-content/plugins/woocommerce-payments/readme.txt or the main PHP file and locate the version number
    Affected if The version number matches any of the affected ranges: 4.8.0-4.8.1, 5.0.0-5.0.3, 5.1.0-5.1.2, 5.2.0-5.2.1, 5.3.0, 5.4.0, 5.5.0-5.5.1, or 5.6.0-5.6.1
  3. Confirm WordPress is running the plugin
    Check that the WooCommerce Payments endpoint is accessible on the site by accessing /wp-json/wc/v3/payments/ or checking that the plugin init file loads without errors
    Affected if The plugin API endpoints are responding, indicating the vulnerable code is loaded

If WooCommerce Payments is active and the version falls within 4.8.0-4.8.1, 5.0.0-5.0.3, 5.1.0-5.1.2, 5.2.0-5.2.1, 5.3.0, 5.4.0, 5.5.0-5.5.1, or 5.6.0-5.6.1, the environment is affected by this authentication bypass vulnerability.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 4.8.2 / 5.0.4 / 5.1.3 or later
Fixed in 4.8.25.0.45.1.3
Interim mitigation

Update WooCommerce Payments plugin to version 5.7.0 or higher immediately. As an interim measure, consider deactivating the plugin if immediate updating is not possible, as the vulnerability is being actively exploited.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to WooCommerce Payments 5.2.2 or later / Woopayments 5.6.2 or later (latest stable release recommended)

  1. 1. Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. 3. Locate WooCommerce Payments (or Woopayments) in the plugin list
  4. 4. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to update to the latest version
  5. 5. Alternatively, download the latest version from the WordPress plugin repository or WooCommerce.com
  6. 6. After updating, verify the version number matches a fixed release (4.8.2, 5.0.4, 5.1.3, 5.2.2, or 5.6.2)
  7. 7. Test that admin functionality works correctly after the update
Caveat Review WooCommerce compatibility requirements before upgrading; ensure PHP version meets plugin requirements

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

Fix this in Woocommerce Payments Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $860
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,376.

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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-2023-28121 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