Authentication Bypass in Abandoned Cart Recovery for WooCommerce

Executive Summary

CVE-2026-57698 is an authentication bypass vulnerability in the WordPress Abandoned Cart Recovery for WooCommerce Plugin, specifically versions 1.1.12 and earlier.

This vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to perform actions that normally require higher privileges, potentially gaining admin access to the affected website.

It is classified as a Broken Authentication issue and falls under the OWASP Top 10 category A7: Identification and Authentication Failures.

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Detection Guidance

This vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to perform actions normally restricted to higher-privileged users, potentially gaining admin access. Detection can involve monitoring for unusual authentication bypass attempts or unauthorized admin-level actions.

Patchstack has provided a mitigation rule to block attacks until the update is applied, which may include detection signatures or firewall rules.

Specific commands are not provided in the available resources.

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Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can have a significant impact as it allows attackers without authentication to gain administrative access to your website.

With admin access, attackers can manipulate website data, compromise user information, inject malicious code, or disrupt website operations.

Such vulnerabilities are often exploited in mass campaigns targeting thousands of websites, increasing the risk of widespread damage.

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Compliance Impact

This vulnerability can significantly impact compliance with common standards and regulations such as GDPR and HIPAA due to its potential to allow unauthorized access to sensitive data and administrative functions.

• GDPR: The vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to gain access to user data, which could include personally identifiable information (PII). Under GDPR, organizations must protect PII from unauthorized access. A breach resulting from this vulnerability could lead to non-compliance, resulting in hefty fines and legal consequences.
• HIPAA: If the affected WooCommerce plugin is used in a healthcare-related context where protected health information (PHI) is stored or processed, this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access to PHI. HIPAA requires strict controls over access to PHI, and a breach could result in violations, penalties, and loss of trust.
• General security standards: The vulnerability falls under OWASP Top 10 category A7 (Identification and Authentication Failures), which is a critical security risk. Non-compliance with security best practices can affect certifications or audits required by other industry-specific regulations.

Organizations using the affected plugin must apply the patch immediately to mitigate risks and ensure continued compliance with applicable regulations.

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Mitigation Strategies

The immediate step to mitigate this vulnerability is to update the Abandoned Cart Recovery for WooCommerce plugin to version 1.1.13 or later, where the issue has been patched.

Until the update can be applied, users are advised to implement the mitigation rule provided by Patchstack to block attacks targeting this vulnerability.

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