CVE-2025-49888 is a high-severity vulnerability classified under CWE-862 (Missing Authorization) affecting the WordPress plugin PW WooCommerce On Sale! developed by pimwick. This vulnerability arises due to improperly configured access control mechanisms within the plugin, which fails to enforce proper authorization checks on certain sensitive operations. As a result, an attacker with at least limited privileges (PR:L) can exploit this flaw remotely (AV:N) without requiring user interaction (UI:N) to perform unauthorized actions that impact the integrity and availability of the affected system. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 7.1, reflecting a high risk primarily due to the potential for integrity loss and service disruption (I:L, A:H). The vulnerability does not affect confidentiality (C:N), but unauthorized modifications or disruptions to the plugin’s functionality or the underlying WooCommerce store could lead to significant operational and business impacts. The vulnerability affects all versions up to 1.39, although specific affected versions are not detailed. No public exploits are known at this time, and no patches have been linked yet, indicating that organizations using this plugin should prioritize monitoring and mitigation. The root cause is the missing authorization checks that allow users with limited privileges to perform actions beyond their intended scope, potentially leading to unauthorized changes in sale configurations or other critical e-commerce settings. Given the plugin’s role in managing promotional sales on WooCommerce stores, exploitation could disrupt sales campaigns, cause financial losses, or degrade customer trust.

For European organizations operating WooCommerce-based e-commerce platforms using the PW WooCommerce On Sale! plugin, this vulnerability poses a significant risk. Unauthorized modification or disruption of sales promotions can lead to direct financial losses through incorrect pricing, unauthorized discounts, or denial of service to legitimate customers. Integrity loss in sales data or configurations can also affect inventory management, reporting accuracy, and customer satisfaction. Since WooCommerce is widely used across Europe, especially among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in retail and services sectors, the vulnerability could have broad operational impacts. Additionally, disruption of e-commerce services can damage brand reputation and customer trust, which are critical in competitive European markets. The lack of confidentiality impact reduces the risk of data breaches, but the high availability impact means that attackers could cause downtime or degraded service, which is particularly damaging during peak sales periods such as Black Friday or holiday seasons. Compliance with European data protection and e-commerce regulations may also be affected if service disruptions or unauthorized changes lead to contractual or legal issues.

European organizations should immediately audit their use of the PW WooCommerce On Sale! plugin and restrict access to users with administrative or trusted roles until a patch is available. Implement strict role-based access controls (RBAC) within WordPress to minimize the number of users with privileges that could exploit this vulnerability. Monitor plugin updates from pimwick closely and apply security patches as soon as they are released. In the interim, consider disabling the plugin if feasible or limiting its functionality to reduce attack surface. Employ web application firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious requests targeting this plugin’s endpoints. Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focused on authorization controls within e-commerce plugins. Maintain detailed logs of administrative actions related to sales and promotions to detect unauthorized changes promptly. Additionally, educate staff on the risks of privilege misuse and enforce strong authentication mechanisms to reduce the risk of compromised credentials being used to exploit this vulnerability.