WooCommerce Strip Payment is a payment gateway for WordPress e-commerce sites, with 900,000 active installs. Through Stripe's payment processing API, it enables websites to accept payment methods like Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.
The vulnerability originated from unsafe handling of order objects and an improper access control measures in the plugin’s ‘javascript_params’ and ‘payment_fields’ functions.
Due to these coding errors, it is possible to display order data for any WooCommerce store without first confirming the request's permissions or the order's ownership (user matching).
The payment gateway vulnerability could eventually enable unauthorized users access to the checkout page data that includes PII (personally identifiable information), email addresses, shipping addresses and the user’s full name.
Since the data listed above is listed as ‘critical,’ it could further lead to additional cyberattacks wherein the threat actor could attempt account hijacks and credential theft through phishing emails that specifically target the victim.
Users of the WooCommerce Strip Gateway plugin should update to version 7.4.1 in order to reduce the risks associated with this vulnerability. On April 17, 2023, specialists immediately notified the plugin vendor of the vulnerability, CVE-2023-34000. On May 30, 2023, a patch that addressed the problem and improved security was made available.
Despite the patch's accessibility, the concerning WordPress.org data point to risk. The truth is that unsafe plugin versions are still being used by more than half of the active installations. The attack surface is greatly increased in this situation, which attracts cybercriminals looking to take advantage of the security flaw.
Adding to this, the gateway needs safety measures to be taken swiftly like updating version 7.4.1 and ensuring that all plugins are constantly updated, and keeping an eye out for any indications of malicious activities. Website supervisors can preserve sensitive user data and defend their online companies from potential cyber threats by giving security measures a first priority.
According to an analysis by cybersecurity company Dr. Web, WordPress-based websites are being targeted by an unidentified Linux malware variant.
Recognized as LinuxBackDoor.WordPressExploit.1, while it can also operate on 64-bit Linux versions, the Trojan favors 32-bit versions. 30 vulnerabilities in numerous outdated WordPress plugins and themes have been used by Linux malware.
Injecting harmful JavaScript into the webpages of websites using the WordPress content management system (CMS) is its primary purpose. The malware may be the malicious instrument that hackers have used for more than three years to perform specific attacks and generate income from the resale of traffic, or arbitrage, based on a study of an unearthed trojan program undertaken by Doctor Web's specialists.
Malicious actors can remotely operate a Trojan by sending its command and control (C&C) server the URL of the site they want to infect. Threat actors can also remotely disable the spyware, turn it off, and stop recording its activities.
The researchers described how the process works, adding that if a plugin or theme vulnerability is exposed, the injection is done so that, irrespective of the original contents of the page, the JavaScript would be launched first when the infected page is loaded. By clicking any part of the compromised website, users will be sent to the attackers' preferred website.
Additionally, it can take advantage of many plugins' flaws, including the Brizy WordPress Plugin, the FV Flowplayer Video Player, and the WordPress Coming Soon Page.
According to Dr. Web, both Trojan variants include unreleased functionality for brute-force hacking the admin access of selected websites. Applying well-known logins and passwords while utilizing specialized vocabulary can accomplish this.
The researchers issued a warning, speculating that hackers may be considering using this feature in further iterations of the malware. Cybercriminals will even be able to effectively attack some of the websites that utilize current plugin versions with patched vulnerabilities.
WordPress is reportedly used by 43% of websites, making it a CMS that cybercriminals aggressively target.WordPress website owners are recommended by Dr. Web to update all parts of their platforms, including any third-party add-ons and themes, and to use secure passwords for their accounts.