CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2026-16538NVD status: Deferred

Wallet for WooCommerce: Improper Access Control

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2026-16538 is a critical-severity improper access control vulnerability in Wallet for WooCommerce, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.1 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. The record lists version 1.6.10 as the first without the flaw, so updating Wallet for WooCommerce to that release or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.4% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Patch this week

Critical severity: a successful attack would have severe impact.

What to do

  1. Update Wallet for WooCommerce to 1.6.10 or a later version.
  2. Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
Wallet for WooCommerceWallet for WooCommercebefore 1.6.101.6.10

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
NoneNo account or login is needed.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
NoneAvailability is not affected.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N. Scored by CISA (ADP).

Official description

The Wallet for WooCommerce WordPress plugin before 1.6.10 does not verify the amount actually collected for a wallet top-up before crediting the wallet, allowing customers to top up their wallet balance for less than its value.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Improper Access Control

The product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Very carefully manage the setting, management, and handling of privileges. Explicitly manage trust zones in the software.
  • Compartmentalize the system to have safe areas where trust boundaries can be unambiguously drawn. Do not allow sensitive data to go outside of the trust boundary and always be careful when interfacing with a compartment outside of the safe area. Ensure that appropriate compartmentalization is built into the system design, and the compartmentalization allows for and reinforces privilege separation functionality. Architects and designers should rely on the principle of least privilege to decide the appropriate time to use privileges and the time to drop privileges.

More Improper Access Control vulnerabilities (CWE-284)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: poc, automatable: yes, technical impact: total).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Recent Improper Access Control vulnerabilities

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