Unauthenticated account takeover via predictable verification tokens
Published Aug 30, 2021 · Updated May 5, 2025
Authentication bypass in Booster for WooCommerce 5.4.3 and earlier allows remote attackers to take over arbitrary user accounts. The reset_and_mail_activation_link function creates each verification token as an MD5 hash of the request time, so process_email_verification accepts a reproducible token. Exploitation requires the Email Verification module and automatic login after verification, which is enabled by default; targeting an administrator yields site takeover.
Summary
What happened
Authentication bypass in Booster for WooCommerce 5.4.3 and earlier allows remote attackers to take over arbitrary user accounts. The reset_and_mail_activation_link function creates each verification token as an MD5 hash of the request time, so process_email_verification accepts a reproducible token. Exploitation requires the Email Verification module and automatic login after verification, which is enabled by default; targeting an administrator yields site takeover.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2021-34646
- Published
- Aug 30, 2021
- Updated
- May 5, 2025
- Vendor
- Pluggabl LLC
- Product
- Booster for WooCommerce
- Classifications
- CWE-330, CWE-290, T1190
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 30, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 5, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=5.4.3 <=5.4.3
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- Wordfence two-request verification-token exploitproof of concept · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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