Cyber Resilience

CVE-2021-34646

Auth Bypass in Booster For Woocommerce ≤ 5.4.3

Public PoCHigh EPSSAuth BypassCrypto Weakness
Published
30 August 2021
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 9.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.51 99th percentile
Risk Priority 84 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2021-34646 is a critical-severity Authentication Bypass by Spoofing (CWE-290) vulnerability in Booster Booster For Woocommerce. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).

Operationally, ranked in the top 1% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Versions up to, and including, 5.4.3, of the Booster for WooCommerce WordPress plugin are vulnerable to authentication bypass via the process_email_verification function due to a random token generation weakness in the reset_and_mail_activation_link function found in the ~/includes/class-wcj-emails-verification.php file. This allows…

more

attackers to impersonate users and trigger an email address verification for arbitrary accounts, including administrative accounts, and automatically be logged in as that user, including any site administrators. This requires the Email Verification module to be active in the plugin and the Login User After Successful Verification setting to be enabled, which it is by default.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

Likely ATT&CK TechniquesAI

Techniques this vulnerability likely enables, inferred from its description, weakness type, and attributed-actor tradecraft. Confidence is per-technique.

T1078 Valid Accounts Stealthconfidence: HIGH
Authentication bypass allows attackers to log in as arbitrary users including administrators using valid accounts.
T1136 Create Account Persistenceconfidence: MEDIUM
Attackers can trigger account verification and gain access to accounts, effectively creating usable credentials for existing accounts.
inferred from description + CWE · MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise v19.0

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2024-9170Same product: Booster Booster For Woocommerce
CVE-2023-52234Same product: Booster Booster For Woocommerce
CVE-2024-13744Same product: Booster Booster For Woocommerce
CVE-2023-51511Same product: Booster Booster For Woocommerce
CVE-2025-64380Same product: Booster Booster For Woocommerce
CVE-2024-1054Same product: Booster Booster For Woocommerce
CVE-2024-1986Same product: Booster Booster For Woocommerce
CVE-2023-40002Same product: Booster Booster For Woocommerce
CVE-2025-64196Same product: Booster Booster For Woocommerce
CVE-2024-12278Same product: Booster Booster For Woocommerce

Affected Assets

booster
booster for woocommerce
≤ 5.4.3

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)
  • 11 hardening rules · 5 OS baselines
Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V6.4.3
  • V10.4.16
  • V10.5.1
  • V11.4.3

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-290

Reveals spoofed logon attempts through unexpected previous logon timestamps upon legitimate login.

addresses: CWE-290

Training specifically addresses recognizing spoofed communications and phishing that enable authentication bypass.

addresses: CWE-290

Requiring verifiable identity evidence at appropriate assurance levels makes it substantially harder for attackers to successfully spoof or impersonate users to obtain accounts.

addresses: CWE-290

Unique device authentication makes successful spoofing of device identity substantially more difficult to achieve.

addresses: CWE-290

Unique identification of non-organizational users reduces the feasibility of authentication bypass by spoofing.

addresses: CWE-290

Unique identification and authentication of services before communications makes spoofing of service identities substantially harder.

addresses: CWE-290

Isolated trusted path ensures the user interacts only with genuine system components, preventing spoofing of authentication interfaces or prompts.

addresses: CWE-330

Key generation under controlled management uses approved random-bit sources rather than insufficiently random values.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.AA-04 full match
prevents

Protecting, conveying, and verifying identity assertions specifically prevents the spoofing that enables authentication bypass.

PR.AA-03 mostly match
prevents

Requiring authentication of users/services/hardware directly counters spoofing-based bypass when strong methods are used.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices directly enforce use of cryptographically strong RNGs and catch insufficient randomness during design, coding, and testing.

PR.AA-02 partial match
prevents

Proofing and binding identities reduces spoofing opportunities during enrollment but does not address runtime authentication implementation flaws.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

degrades

Secure authentication control directly mitigates authentication bypass by spoofing.

degrades

Authentication information management directly addresses credential handling that prevents spoofing.

prevents

Cryptographic controls require use of approved, sufficiently random values for keys and nonces.

detects

Security testing can detect spoofing vulnerabilities but does not prevent them by itself.

prevents

Access control policy reduces spoofing opportunities but does not prescribe authentication mechanisms.

prevents

Identity management supports unique identities but does not guarantee resistance to spoofing.

References