CVE-2022-3946 is a security vulnerability identified in the Welcart e-Commerce WordPress plugin versions prior to 2.8.4. The core issue stems from missing authorization controls combined with a lack of Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) protection in an AJAX action endpoint. Specifically, any authenticated user with a valid WordPress login—regardless of their privilege level—can exploit this flaw to create, update, or delete shipping methods within the e-commerce platform. This vulnerability is classified under CWE-862 (Missing Authorization) and CWE-352 (Cross-Site Request Forgery). The absence of proper authorization checks means that the plugin does not verify whether the logged-in user has the appropriate permissions to perform these sensitive operations. Additionally, the lack of CSRF tokens allows attackers to craft malicious requests that can be executed without the user's explicit consent if they are logged in. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 6.5 (medium severity), with the vector indicating network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), requiring privileges (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), no confidentiality impact (C:N), high integrity impact (I:H), and no availability impact (A:N). This means the vulnerability can be exploited remotely over the network by any authenticated user, leading to unauthorized modification of shipping methods, which can disrupt business operations or be leveraged for further attacks such as fraud or manipulation of order fulfillment processes. No known public exploits have been reported in the wild as of the publication date, and no official patches are linked in the provided data, though the vulnerability was addressed in version 2.8.4 of the plugin. The vulnerability affects the Welcart e-Commerce plugin, a WordPress plugin used primarily in Japan but also by some European merchants, especially small to medium-sized businesses using WordPress for online retail. The technical details confirm the vulnerability was reserved in November 2022 and publicly disclosed in December 2022 by WPScan and enriched by CISA.

For European organizations using the Welcart e-Commerce plugin, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to the integrity of their e-commerce operations. Unauthorized modification of shipping methods can lead to incorrect shipping charges, manipulation of delivery options, or disruption of logistics workflows. Attackers could exploit this to cause financial losses, damage customer trust, or create operational chaos. Since the vulnerability requires only authenticated access, attackers could leverage compromised or low-privilege user accounts to escalate their impact without needing administrator credentials. This is particularly concerning for organizations with multiple user roles or where user account hygiene is weak. The lack of confidentiality impact reduces the risk of data leakage, but the high integrity impact means business processes can be manipulated, potentially facilitating fraud or supply chain attacks. Given the plugin’s niche usage in Europe, the impact is more pronounced for small and medium enterprises relying on this plugin for their online sales. Additionally, the absence of CSRF protection increases the risk of automated or social engineering attacks that can trigger unauthorized changes without user awareness. The vulnerability does not affect availability directly but could indirectly cause service disruptions if shipping configurations become inconsistent or invalid.

1. Immediate upgrade to Welcart e-Commerce plugin version 2.8.4 or later, where this vulnerability has been addressed, is the most effective mitigation. 2. Restrict user roles and permissions rigorously within WordPress to ensure only trusted users have access to shipping method management. 3. Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all user accounts to reduce the risk of compromised credentials being used to exploit this vulnerability. 4. Monitor and audit changes to shipping methods regularly to detect unauthorized modifications promptly. 5. Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious AJAX requests targeting shipping method endpoints. 6. Educate users about phishing and social engineering risks to prevent attackers from leveraging CSRF-like attacks. 7. If immediate patching is not feasible, consider temporarily disabling the affected AJAX actions or restricting access to the plugin’s shipping management features via IP whitelisting or other network controls. 8. Review and harden WordPress security configurations, including limiting plugin installations to trusted sources and keeping all components updated.