CVE-2026-97657: Abandoned Cart Pro for WooCommerce <= 10.8.0 - Unauthenticated Authentication Bypass via Malleable Encryption and Bypassable HMAC via Recovery Link 'validate' Parameter
The Abandoned Cart Pro for WooCommerce plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Authentication Bypass via Malleable Encryption and Bypassable HMAC in all versions up to, and including, 10.8.0. This is due to the use of MAC-free AES-CTR encryption for cart-recovery link tokens — where the 8-byte CTR nonce is carried inside the ciphertext blob and the encryption key is looked up using the attacker-supplied useremail GET parameter — combined with an HMAC nonce check in wcapemailtracklinks() that is only enforced when the wcapnonce parameter is non-empty, allowing complete bypass by omission, and an insecure direct object reference on the decrypted abandonedid with no ownership verification confirming the cart belongs to the email used for decryption. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers who possess a single legitimate cart-recovery link (obtained from their own reminder email) to recover the keystream, forge a ciphertext that decrypts to any victim's cart ID, and trigger a call to wpsetauthcookie() for the victim user — achieving full account takeover of any user who has ever abandoned a cart, including administrators. The auto-login feature defaults to enabled and is forced on during plugin upgrades, meaning all affected installations are exploitable without any additional configuration.
Affected Software
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can be targeted on an affected site?
Any user who has ever abandoned a cart can be targeted, including administrator accounts. The affected versions are all versions up to and including 10.8.0.
What does an attacker need to exploit this issue?
The attacker needs a single legitimate cart-recovery link, such as one obtained from their own reminder email. No authentication or user interaction is required to perform the attack.
What is the practical impact of successful exploitation?
An attacker can forge a recovery token for another user's abandoned cart and cause WordPress to set an authentication cookie for that user. This enables full account takeover, including takeover of administrator accounts.