CVE-2023-51494 is a missing authorization flaw in the WooCommerce Product Vendors plugin by Woo, rated Medium (5.3). It affects versions up to and including 2.2.1. Update to the latest release and confirm the fixed version in the vendor advisory.
What's affected
The NVD record names WooCommerce Product Vendors by Woo and lists versions up to and including 2.2.1. The vendor name in the record is Woo, the WooCommerce team.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Product | WooCommerce Product Vendors (WordPress plugin) |
| Affected | versions up to and including 2.2.1 |
| Fixed | not confirmed in the sources I could reach |
| CVSS | 5.3 (Medium), vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N |
| Weakness | CWE-862 (Missing Authorization) |
| Published | 2024-06-09 |
The record's CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities flag is false for this CVE.
The record states the last affected version but gives no fixed version, and the Patchstack page named in the record returned an access error when I tried to fetch it, so I cannot confirm the patched release. Check the plugin changelog on WordPress.org or the vendor advisory.
How to check if you're exposed
If you manage the site with WP-CLI, list the installed version and whether an update is waiting:
wp plugin list --fields=name,status,version,update_version | grep woocommerce-product-vendors
You can also open Plugins in the WordPress dashboard and read the version under the plugin name. Compare it with the affected range above. If you run many sites, export an inventory of plugins and versions from each one and compare them in one pass. The free scanner at gold.safeguard.sh/scan can check a dependency manifest in the browser, and the Gold directory lists known issues by component.
Also check staging copies and sites that were cloned from older backups. Inactive plugins still sit on disk and some of them still expose files, so remove plugins you no longer use rather than only deactivating them.
What to do now
- Update WooCommerce Product Vendors to the latest release. The record gives only the last affected version, and the Patchstack page could not be retrieved for this review, so check the vendor changelog or advisory to confirm which release contains the fix.
- Run the update on staging first if the plugin is business critical, then roll it out to production.
- Re-run the WP-CLI check above on every site you manage and confirm no copy remains in the affected range.
- Remove the plugin if you no longer need it, instead of leaving it deactivated.
- Review administrator accounts and recent changes on any site that ran an affected version while exposed to the internet.
Why it matters
The record classifies this as CWE-862 (Missing Authorization).
Missing authorization is a broken access control bug. A handler does its work without confirming the caller is allowed to ask for it. The login check may be present while the permission check is absent, so any account, or sometimes none, can reach the function.
These issues are easy to introduce when a function is registered for AJAX or REST use and the developer assumes the front end will only show the button to the right people. The server must enforce the rule, not the interface.
Quick check
Is hiding the feature in the admin screen enough?
No. The weakness is that the server does not check the caller. Hiding a menu item does nothing against a direct request, so update the plugin.
How do I know which version is fixed?
Use the version stated under What is affected, and confirm it against the vendor changelog or advisory linked in Sources before you close the ticket.
Sources
- NVD record data for CVE-2023-51494 via Safeguard Gold
- Patchstack advisory (listed in the NVD record, could not be retrieved)
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
