Bulk Order Update for WooCommerce <= 1.6 - Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Read via 'csv_url' Parameter
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Unpatched
- Affected Plugin
- Bulk Order Update for WooCommerce
- Affected Version
<= 1.6- CVSS
- 5.3Medium
- Weakness type
- CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
- CVE
CVE-2026-14500
At a glance
CVE-2026-14500 is a medium-severity Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the Bulk Order Update for WooCommerce WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.6. It carries a CVSS score of 5.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires no authentication. No fixed release has been reported yet; treat installations running this software as exposed. Disclosed July 2026, reported by nthng.
Vulnerability Overview
The Bulk Order Update for WooCommerce plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Arbitrary File Read in versions up to, and including, 1.6. This is due to the bouw_fetch_csv_data() AJAX handler being registered on the wp_ajax_nopriv_ hook with no capability or nonce check, and passing the attacker-supplied csv_url POST parameter — filtered only by esc_url_raw() (which leaves absolute filesystem paths intact) and validate_file() (which only rejects '..' traversal patterns) — directly into fopen()/fgetcsv() and reflecting the first parsed line in the JSON response. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to read the first line of arbitrary files on the server (such as /etc/passwd) and to use the handler as a file-existence oracle.
Technical Analysis
The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, with low attack complexity — no special timing or configuration is needed, and no privileges on the target site, and no interaction from a victim user.
CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Bulk Order Update for WooCommerce <= 1.6 carries this weakness at bouw_fetch_csv_data(), and reaching it takes no account at all. Path traversal happens when user-controlled text is used to build a filesystem path without being constrained to an intended directory, so sequences like ../ walk the resolved path somewhere else.
Depending on the operation, it means reading files outside the intended folder — wp-config.php being the usual target — or writing to and deleting paths the web server can touch. No fixed build of this plugin is recorded for Bulk Order Update for WooCommerce yet, so installs running <= 1.6 stay exposed until the vendor ships one.
Remediation
No known patch available. Please review the vulnerability's details in depth and employ mitigations based on your organization's risk tolerance. It may be best to uninstall the affected software and find a replacement.
How does WordSec protect against this?
Requests carrying this pattern arrive without a session, so nothing upstream of the firewall gets a chance to reject them: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. No patched version is recorded yet, which is the case where a filtering layer matters most, because there is nothing to update to.
- Firewall
- Login Security
- Alerts
External References
Vulnerability data © Defiant, Inc., provided under the Wordfence Intelligence T&C