CVE-2025-13114 is an improper authorization vulnerability found in the macrozheng mall-swarm e-commerce platform, specifically affecting versions 1.0.0 through 1.0.3. The vulnerability resides in the updateAttr function within the /cart/update/attr endpoint, which is responsible for updating cart attributes. Due to insufficient authorization checks, an attacker can remotely invoke this function to manipulate cart data without proper permissions. The vulnerability does not require user interaction or elevated privileges, making it easier to exploit remotely over the network. The CVSS 4.0 score of 5.3 reflects a medium severity, considering the vulnerability’s ease of exploitation (low attack complexity), lack of required authentication, and limited impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (low to limited impact). The vendor macrozheng has not responded to vulnerability disclosures, and no patches or mitigations have been officially released. Publicly available exploits increase the risk of exploitation, although no active exploitation in the wild has been reported to date. This vulnerability could allow attackers to alter cart attributes, potentially leading to unauthorized transactions, data integrity issues, or disruption of e-commerce operations. The lack of scope change indicates the vulnerability affects only the vulnerable component without impacting other system components.

For European organizations using the macrozheng mall-swarm platform, this vulnerability poses a risk of unauthorized manipulation of shopping cart data, which could lead to fraudulent transactions, loss of customer trust, and potential financial losses. The improper authorization flaw could be exploited to alter product quantities, prices, or other cart attributes, undermining transaction integrity. While the impact on confidentiality and availability is limited, integrity violations could disrupt business operations and customer experience. Given the remote exploitability and no requirement for authentication, attackers could target e-commerce sites at scale. This is particularly concerning for SMEs and online retailers relying on mall-swarm without robust compensating controls. Additionally, regulatory compliance risks may arise under GDPR if customer data or transaction integrity is compromised. The absence of vendor patches necessitates immediate mitigation to prevent exploitation, especially in countries with high e-commerce activity and reliance on this platform.

1. Implement strict access control and authorization checks at the application firewall or reverse proxy level to restrict access to the /cart/update/attr endpoint only to authenticated and authorized users. 2. Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious requests targeting the vulnerable endpoint. 3. Conduct thorough code reviews and implement additional server-side authorization validation to ensure only legitimate users can update cart attributes. 4. Monitor logs for unusual activity related to cart updates, such as unexpected attribute changes or high-frequency requests from single IPs. 5. If possible, isolate the vulnerable component in a segmented network zone to limit exposure. 6. Engage with the vendor or community to obtain patches or updates; if unavailable, consider migrating to alternative e-commerce platforms with active security support. 7. Educate development and security teams about the vulnerability and ensure incident response plans include scenarios involving unauthorized cart manipulation. 8. Regularly update and patch all related infrastructure components to reduce the attack surface. 9. Use multi-factor authentication and session management best practices to reduce risk from compromised credentials that could be leveraged in conjunction with this vulnerability.