CVE-2023-3508 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability identified in the WooCommerce Pre-Orders WordPress plugin versions prior to 2.0.3. The vulnerability arises due to an inadequate CSRF protection mechanism when processing tab actions within the plugin. Specifically, the flaw allows an attacker to trick a logged-in administrator into executing unauthorized actions without their consent. These actions include sending emails to customers with pre-orders, modifying the release date of pre-orders, and marking all pre-orders of a particular product as either complete or canceled. The vulnerability does not require the attacker to have any privileges beyond those of a logged-in admin, but it does require that the victim administrator be authenticated and interact with a maliciously crafted request (user interaction). The CVSS v3.1 base score is 6.5, reflecting a medium severity level, with the vector indicating network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), user interaction required (UI:R), unchanged scope (S:U), no confidentiality impact (C:N), high integrity impact (I:H), and no availability impact (A:N). The vulnerability is classified under CWE-352, which covers CSRF issues. No public exploits are currently known in the wild, and no official patches or updates have been linked in the provided data. The vulnerability affects WooCommerce Pre-Orders, a plugin widely used in e-commerce sites built on WordPress to manage pre-order sales and related workflows.

For European organizations, especially those operating e-commerce platforms using WooCommerce with the Pre-Orders plugin, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to the integrity of their order management processes. An attacker exploiting this flaw could manipulate pre-order statuses, potentially causing financial discrepancies, customer dissatisfaction, and operational disruptions. For example, marking pre-orders as complete prematurely or canceling them could lead to shipment errors or loss of revenue. Unauthorized emails sent to customers could damage brand reputation or be used as a vector for phishing or social engineering attacks. Although confidentiality and availability are not directly impacted, the integrity compromise can undermine trust and lead to regulatory scrutiny, especially under GDPR if customer communications are manipulated. The requirement for an authenticated admin user to be targeted limits the attack surface but does not eliminate risk, as phishing or social engineering could be used to lure admins into executing malicious requests. Given the widespread use of WooCommerce in Europe, particularly in countries with large e-commerce markets, the impact could be material for mid to large-sized retailers and service providers.

1. Immediate upgrade: Organizations should verify their WooCommerce Pre-Orders plugin version and upgrade to version 2.0.3 or later where the vulnerability is fixed. 2. Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules: Deploy WAF rules that detect and block suspicious CSRF attempts targeting WooCommerce admin endpoints, especially those related to pre-order management. 3. Enforce strict admin session management: Limit admin sessions to trusted IP ranges where possible and implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) to reduce the risk of compromised admin accounts. 4. Use security plugins that add CSRF tokens: Supplement WooCommerce with security plugins that enforce CSRF token validation on admin actions to add an additional layer of protection. 5. Educate administrators: Train admins to recognize phishing attempts and avoid clicking on suspicious links or performing actions from untrusted sources while logged in. 6. Monitor logs: Regularly audit WooCommerce and web server logs for unusual admin activity, such as bulk status changes or unexpected email triggers. 7. Isolate admin interfaces: Where feasible, restrict access to the WordPress admin dashboard via VPN or IP whitelisting to reduce exposure to CSRF attacks.