CVE-2026-16621
Received Received - Intake

Unauthenticated Payment Completion in WooCommerce PayPal Gateway

Publication date: 2026-08-12

Last updated on: 2026-08-12

Assigner: WPScan

Description
The Payment Gateway for PayPal on WooCommerce WordPress plugin before 9.2.1 does not verify that payment actually succeeded before completing an order in its PayPal return handler: it reads attacker-controlled parameters, performs no amount comparison and no order-ownership check, and completes the order even when the server-side gateway verification fails, allowing an unauthenticated attacker to mark arbitrary orders as paid without paying.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
Percentile:

Meta Information

Published
2026-08-12
Last Modified
2026-08-12
Generated
2026-08-12
AI Q&A
2026-08-12
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-16621
EUVD
EUVD-2026-57173

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
woocommerce payment_gateway_for_paypal to 9.2.1 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
CWE Icon
KEV
KEV Icon
CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

Attack-Flow Graph

AI Quick Actions

Instant insights powered by AI
Executive Summary

This vulnerability affects the Payment Gateway for PayPal on WooCommerce WordPress plugin before version 9.2.1. It allows an unauthenticated attacker to mark arbitrary orders as paid without actually completing a payment by manipulating the PayPal return handler. The plugin fails to verify payment success, perform amount comparisons, or check order ownership before completing orders.

Detection Guidance

Check the installed version of the Payment Gateway for PayPal on WooCommerce plugin. If it is below 9.2.1, the system is vulnerable. Use WordPress admin panel or run: wp plugin list | grep paypal-gateway in the WordPress directory.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability allows attackers to bypass payment for orders, resulting in financial losses as orders are marked as paid without actual transactions. It can lead to disputes, chargebacks, and reputational damage for businesses using the affected plugin.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access to paid orders without actual payment, potentially violating financial transaction integrity requirements in GDPR and HIPAA. It may also compromise data confidentiality if attacker-controlled parameters expose sensitive order details.

Mitigation Strategies

Update the Payment Gateway for PayPal on WooCommerce plugin to version 9.2.1 or later immediately. Disable the plugin temporarily if an update is not immediately available.

Chat Assistant

Ask questions about this CVE
Hi! I’m here to help you understand CVE-2026-16621. Ask me anything about the vulnerability, its impact, or mitigation strategies.
0/70

EPSS Chart