CVE-2022-4016 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability affecting multiple versions of the Booster for WooCommerce WordPress plugin, specifically versions prior to 5.6.7 for Booster for WooCommerce, prior to 5.6.6 for Booster Plus for WooCommerce, and prior to 1.1.8 for Booster Elite for WooCommerce. The vulnerability arises because the plugin does not properly verify the authenticity of requests when creating or deleting custom customer roles. This lack of CSRF protection allows an attacker to trick an authenticated administrator into executing unintended actions by submitting crafted requests on their behalf without their consent. Since the actions involve creating and deleting arbitrary custom roles, the attacker can manipulate user permissions and roles within the WooCommerce environment. The vulnerability requires that the victim be an authenticated administrator who visits a maliciously crafted web page or clicks a malicious link, which then triggers the unauthorized role modifications. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 6.5 (medium severity), reflecting that the attack vector is network-based, with low attack complexity, no privileges required, but user interaction is necessary. The impact is primarily on integrity, as unauthorized role changes can lead to privilege escalation or disruption of role-based access controls. There is no known exploit in the wild at the time of reporting. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-352, which covers CSRF issues where state-changing requests lack proper anti-CSRF tokens or validation mechanisms. This vulnerability specifically targets WooCommerce installations using the affected Booster plugins, which are popular extensions for enhancing WooCommerce functionality on WordPress sites.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to the integrity of their e-commerce platforms running WooCommerce with the affected Booster plugins. Unauthorized creation or deletion of customer roles can lead to privilege escalation, unauthorized access to sensitive customer data, or disruption of business processes reliant on role-based permissions. This can result in data integrity issues, potential compliance violations under GDPR if customer data is improperly accessed or modified, and reputational damage. Since WooCommerce is widely used by small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Europe for online retail, exploitation could disrupt sales operations and customer trust. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to create roles that grant themselves or others elevated privileges, potentially enabling further attacks such as data exfiltration or site defacement. The requirement for an authenticated administrator to be tricked means that phishing or social engineering campaigns could be used as attack vectors. The absence of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially as attackers often develop exploits after public disclosure. Organizations with high-value e-commerce operations or those handling sensitive customer information are at particular risk.

1. Immediate upgrade to the latest patched versions of Booster for WooCommerce plugins (5.6.7 or later for Booster for WooCommerce, 5.6.6 or later for Booster Plus, and 1.1.8 or later for Booster Elite) to ensure CSRF protections are in place. 2. Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules that detect and block suspicious POST requests targeting role management endpoints, especially those lacking valid CSRF tokens or originating from untrusted sources. 3. Enforce strict administrator access policies, including multi-factor authentication (MFA), to reduce the risk of compromised admin accounts being exploited via CSRF. 4. Conduct regular security awareness training for administrators to recognize phishing attempts and avoid clicking on untrusted links or visiting suspicious websites while logged into admin panels. 5. Monitor logs for unusual role creation or deletion activities and set up alerts for unexpected changes in user roles. 6. Consider implementing Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict the execution of unauthorized scripts that could facilitate CSRF attacks. 7. Where possible, restrict administrative access to trusted IP ranges or VPNs to limit exposure. 8. Review and harden WordPress and WooCommerce security configurations, including limiting plugin usage to only those necessary and keeping all components up to date.