# CVE-2023-2986: Abandoned Cart Lite for WooCommerce <= 5.15.1 - Authentication Bypass

> Unauthenticated attackers can bypass authentication and log in as customers by exploiting insufficient encryption in abandoned cart links.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 8 Jun 2023
- **Updated:** 8 Apr 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-54x7-q6m6-mjqv

## What is CVE-2023-2986?

CVE-2023-2986 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in tychesoftwares Abandoned Cart Lite for WooCommerce, published on 8 Jun 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The Abandoned Cart Lite for WooCommerce plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authentication bypass in versions up to, and including, 5.14.2. This is due to insufficient encryption on the user being supplied during the abandoned cart link decode through the plugin. This allows unauthenticated attackers to log in as users who have abandoned the cart, who are typically customers. Further security hardening was introduced in version 5.15.1 that ensures sites are no longer vulnerable through historical check-out links, and additional hardening was introduced in version 5.15.2 that ensured null key values wouldn't permit the authentication bypass.

Weakness: CWE-288 (Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-2986?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Tychesoftwares Abandoned Cart Lite for Woocommerce.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-2986?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-2986 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-2986 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-2986 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- Proof of Concept for vulnerability CVE-2023-2986 in 'Abandoned Cart Lite for WooCommerce' Plugin in WordPress (github_poc): https://github.com/Ayantaker/CVE-2023-2986
- Proof of Concept for vulnerability CVE-2023-2986 in 'Abandoned Cart Lite for WooCommerce' Plugin in WordPress in Python Version (github_poc): https://github.com/Alucard0x1/CVE-2023-2986

## Other vulnerabilities in tychesoftwares Abandoned Cart Lite for WooCommerce

- [CVE-2019-25152](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-25152/): Cross-site scripting in Abandoned Cart Lite for WooCommerce (high 7.2)
- [CVE-2023-44986](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-44986/): WordPress Abandoned Cart Lite for WooCommerce Plugin <= 5.15.2 is vulnerable to Cross Site Scripting (XSS) (medium 5.9)
- [CVE-2021-4414](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-4414/): Abandoned Cart Lite for WooCommerce <= 5.8.5 - Cross-Site Request Forgery Bypass (medium 4.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-2986 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-2986 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in tychesoftwares Abandoned Cart Lite for WooCommerce, published on 8 Jun 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-2986 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: tychesoftwares Abandoned Cart Lite for WooCommerce. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-2986/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-2986/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-2986
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-2986
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-2986

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-2986/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.