CVE-2023-5952
📋 TL;DR
The Welcart e-Commerce WordPress plugin before version 2.9.5 contains a PHP object injection vulnerability due to unsafe deserialization of user-controlled cookie data. Unauthenticated attackers can exploit this to execute arbitrary code on affected WordPress sites when a suitable gadget chain is present. All WordPress sites using vulnerable Welcart plugin versions are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Welcart e-Commerce WordPress plugin
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution leading to complete system compromise, data theft, malware deployment, and website defacement.
Likely Case
Arbitrary code execution leading to backdoor installation, data exfiltration, and lateral movement within the hosting environment.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper input validation and security controls prevent exploitation attempts.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires identifying or creating appropriate gadget chains, but unauthenticated access lowers the barrier.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2.9.5
Vendor Advisory: https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/0acd613e-dbd6-42ae-9f3d-6d6e77a4c1b7
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find Welcart e-Commerce plugin. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available. 5. Alternatively, download version 2.9.5+ from WordPress repository and manually update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Welcart Plugin
allTemporarily disable the Welcart plugin until patching is possible.
wp plugin deactivate welcart
Input Validation via WAF
allConfigure web application firewall to block requests containing serialized PHP objects in cookies.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable Welcart plugin immediately
- Implement strict WAF rules to block serialized object patterns in cookies
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel → Plugins → Welcart e-Commerce version number.Check Version:
wp plugin get welcart --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm Welcart plugin version is 2.9.5 or higher in WordPress admin.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to Welcart endpoints
- Cookie values containing serialized PHP object patterns (O:)
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests with crafted cookie values targeting Welcart plugin endpoints
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND (uri="*welcart*" OR uri="*usces*" OR user_agent="*welcart*") AND cookie="*O:*"