Authentication Bypass
Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.
How It Works
Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications. Instead of cracking passwords through brute force, attackers manipulate the authentication process itself to gain unauthorized entry. This typically occurs through one of several pathways: exploiting hardcoded credentials embedded in source code or configuration files, manipulating parameters in authentication requests to skip verification steps, or leveraging broken session management that fails to properly validate user identity.
The attack flow often begins with reconnaissance to identify authentication endpoints and their underlying logic. Attackers may probe for default administrative credentials that were never changed, test whether certain URL paths bypass login requirements entirely, or intercept and modify authentication tokens to escalate privileges. In multi-step authentication processes, flaws in state management can allow attackers to complete only partial verification steps while still gaining full access.
More sophisticated variants exploit single sign-on (SSO) or OAuth implementations where misconfigurations in trust relationships allow attackers to forge authentication assertions. Parameter tampering—such as changing a "role=user" field to "role=admin" in a request—can trick poorly designed systems into granting elevated access without proper verification.
Impact
- Complete account takeover — attackers gain full control of user accounts, including administrative accounts, without knowing legitimate credentials
- Unauthorized data access — ability to view, modify, or exfiltrate sensitive information including customer data, financial records, and intellectual property
- System-wide compromise — admin-level access enables installation of backdoors, modification of security controls, and complete infrastructure takeover
- Lateral movement — bypassed authentication provides a foothold for moving deeper into networks and accessing additional systems
- Compliance violations — unauthorized access triggers breach notification requirements and regulatory penalties
Real-World Examples
CrushFTP suffered a critical authentication bypass allowing attackers to access file-sharing functionality without any credentials. The vulnerability enabled direct server-side template injection, leading to remote code execution on affected systems. Attackers actively exploited this in the wild to establish persistent access to enterprise file servers.
Palo Alto's Expedition migration tool contained a flaw permitting attackers to reset administrative credentials without authentication. This allowed complete takeover of the migration environment, potentially exposing network configurations and security policies being transferred between systems.
SolarWinds Web Help Desk (CVE-2024-28987) shipped with hardcoded internal credentials that could not be changed through normal administrative functions. Attackers discovering these credentials gained full administrative access to helpdesk systems containing sensitive organizational information and user data.
Mitigation
- Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) — requires attackers to compromise additional verification factors beyond bypassed primary authentication
- Eliminate hardcoded credentials — use secure credential management systems and rotate all default credentials during deployment
- Enforce authentication on all endpoints — verify every request requires valid authentication; no "hidden" administrative paths should exist
- Implement proper session management — use cryptographically secure session tokens, validate on server-side, enforce timeout policies
- Apply principle of least privilege — limit damage by ensuring even authenticated users only access necessary resources
- Regular security testing — conduct penetration testing specifically targeting authentication logic and flows
Recent CVEs (32566)
Nomad Community and Nomad Enterprise ("Nomad") volume specification is vulnerable to arbitrary cross-namespace volume creation through unauthorized Container Storage Interface (CSI) volume writes. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Combodo iTop is a web based IT Service Management tool. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in Logpoint before 7.5.0. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in Logpoint before 7.5.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.4), this vulnerability is no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in Logpoint before 7.5.0. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in Logpoint before 7.5.0. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability in Veeam Backup & Replication Enterprise Manager has been identified, which allows attackers to perform authentication bypass. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
A flaw was found in pam_access, where certain rules in its configuration file are mistakenly treated as hostnames. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
There exists an auth bypass in Google Quickshare where an attacker can upload an unknown file type to a victim. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.9). This Unrestricted File Upload vulnerability could allow attackers to upload malicious files that can be executed on the server.
A flaw was found in Feedback. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability was found in Moodle. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
When using IPAuthenticationProvider in ZooKeeper Admin Server there is a possibility of Authentication Bypass by Spoofing -- this only impacts IP based authentication implemented in ZooKeeper Admin. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf: Fix overloading of MEM_UNINIT's meaning Lonial reported an issue in the BPF verifier where check_mem_size_reg() has the. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
HCL BigFix Compliance is affected by a missing secure flag on a cookie. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
symfony/security-bundle is a module for the Symphony PHP framework which provides a tight integration of the Security component into the Symfony full-stack framework. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
RabbitMQ is a feature rich, multi-protocol messaging and streaming broker. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco ISE could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to bypass the authorization mechanisms for specific administrative functions. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco ISE could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to bypass the authorization mechanisms for specific file management functions. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
CodeChecker is an analyzer tooling, defect database and viewer extension for the Clang Static Analyzer and Clang Tidy. Rated critical severity (CVSS 10.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A flaw was found in Ansible. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.3). No vendor patch available.
The Social Share, Social Login and Social Comments Plugin - Super Socializer plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authentication bypass in all versions up to, and including, 7.13.68. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. This Improper Authentication vulnerability could allow attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms to gain unauthorized access.
The EleForms - All In One Form Integration including DB for Elementor plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized access of data due to a missing capability check on several functions in all. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Tumult Hype Animations plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized access of data due to a missing capability check on the hypeanimations_getcontent function in all versions up to, and. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. This Missing Authorization vulnerability could allow attackers to access resources or perform actions without proper authorization checks.
The Video Gallery for WooCommerce plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the remove_unused_thumbnails() function in all versions. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. This Missing Authorization vulnerability could allow attackers to access resources or perform actions without proper authorization checks.
The Heateor Social Login WordPress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authentication bypass in all versions up to, and including, 1.1.35. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. This Improper Authentication vulnerability could allow attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms to gain unauthorized access.
Improper authentication in Private Info in Samsung Pass in prior to version 4.4.04.7 allows physical attackers to access sensitive information in a specific scenario. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.6), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Lylme Spage v1.9.5 is vulnerable to Incorrect Access Control. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An authenticated Path Traversal vulnerability exists in Instant AOS-8 and AOS-10. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Wasmtime is a fast and secure runtime for WebAssembly. Rated low severity (CVSS 2.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in JATOS v3.9.3 allows an attacker to reset the administrator's password. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
SuiteCRM is an open-source, enterprise-ready Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software application. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
NVIDIA Container Toolkit and NVIDIA GPU Operator for Linux contain a UNIX vulnerability where a specially crafted container image can lead to the creation of unauthorized files on the host. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The LSC Smart Connect Indoor IP Camera V7.6.32 is vulnerable to an information disclosure issue where live camera footage can be accessed through the RTSP protocol on port 8554 without requiring. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Zotpress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the Zotpress_process_accounts_AJAX function in all versions up to, and. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Permission control vulnerability in the clipboard module Impact: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability may affect service confidentiality. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Permission control vulnerability in the ability module Impact: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability may cause features to function abnormally. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The WooCommerce - Social Login plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authentication bypass in all versions up to, and including, 2.7.7. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
The Loginizer Security and Loginizer plugins for WordPress are vulnerable to authentication bypass in all versions up to, and including, 1.9.2. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. This Improper Authentication vulnerability could allow attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms to gain unauthorized access.
Zope AccessControl provides a general security framework for use in Zope. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Chamilo LMS 1.11.26 is vulnerable to Incorrect Access Control via main/auth/profile. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Akamai SIA (Secure Internet Access Enterprise) ThreatAvert, in SPS (Security and Personalization Services) before the latest 19.2.0 patch and Apps Portal before 19.2.0.3 or 19.2.0.20240814, has. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
This vulnerability exists in Aero due to improper implementation of OTP validation mechanism in certain API endpoints. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
This vulnerability exists in the Wave 2.0 due to improper authorization checks on certain API endpoints. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
This vulnerability exists in the Wave 2.0 due to missing restrictions for excessive failed authentication attempts on its API based login. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
This vulnerability exists in the Wave 2.0 due to insufficient encryption of sensitive data received at the API response. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
LB-LINK BL-WR 1300H v.1.0.4 contains hardcoded credentials stored in /etc/shadow which are easily guessable. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
An Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR) in the dashboard of SiSMART v7.4.0 allows attackers to execute a horizontal-privilege escalation. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Altai Technologies Ltd Altai X500 Indoor 22 802.11ac Wave 2 AP web Management Weak password leakage in the background may lead to unauthorized access, data theft, and network attacks, seriously. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Incorrect Authorization vulnerability in WP Chill Htaccess File Editor htaccess-file-editor allows Accessing Functionality Not Properly Constrained by ACLs.0.18. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in HappyMonster Happy Addons for Elementor happy-elementor-addons allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.12.3. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in ShortPixel ShortPixel Image Optimizer shortpixel-image-optimiser allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.6.3. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Imran Tauqeer CubeWP cubewp-framework allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.1.15. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in WP Chill Strong Testimonials strong-testimonials.1.16. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in WPVibes Elementor Addon Elements addon-elements-for-elementor-page-builder.13.6. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Daniel Iser Popup Maker popup-maker.19.2. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Fahad Mahmood WP Datepicker wp-datepicker.1.1. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Magazine3 PWA for WP & AMP pwa-for-wp.7.72. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Ads by WPQuads Ads by WPQuads quick-adsense-reloaded.0.84. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in sunshinephotocart Sunshine Photo Cart sunshine-photo-cart allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.2.8. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Kraft Plugins Wheel of Life wheel-of-life allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.1.8. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in WPDeveloper Templately templately.1.2. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and EPSS exploitation probability 40.9%.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Shahjahan Jewel Fluent Support fluent-support allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.8.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in HelloAsso HelloAsso helloasso.1.10. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in sunshinephotocart Sunshine Photo Cart sunshine-photo-cart allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.2.9. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in beardev JoomSport joomsport-sports-league-results-management.6.3. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in truepushplugin Truepush truepush-free-web-push-notifications.0.8. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in prasadkirpekar WP Free SSL - Free SSL Certificate for WordPress and force HTTPS wp-free-ssl.2.7. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Renzo Johnson Contact Form 7 Campaign Monitor Extension contact-form-7-campaign-monitor-extension.4.67. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Amir Helzer WooCommerce Multilingual & Multicurrency woocommerce-multilingual.3.6. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in WebsiteinWP Blogpoet allows Accessing Functionality Not Properly Constrained by ACLs.0.3. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Geek Code Lab Login As Users allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.4.3. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in AyeCode - WP Business Directory Plugins GeoDirectory allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.3.70. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in CozyThemes Fota WP allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.4.1. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in CozyThemes Blockbooster allows Accessing Functionality Not Properly Constrained by ACLs.0.10. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in CozyThemes ReviveNews allows Accessing Functionality Not Properly Constrained by ACLs.0.2. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Stiofan GetPaid invoicing allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.8.11. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Broken Access Control vulnerability in Automattic Newspack allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.8.6. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in LWS LWS Affiliation allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.3.4. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Caseproof, LLC MemberPress memberpress.11.34. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Themeum WP Crowdfunding allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.1.10. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in POSIMYTH The Plus Addons for Elementor Page Builder Lite the-plus-addons-for-elementor-page-builder.6.2. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in eyecix JobSearch allows Accessing Functionality Not Properly Constrained by ACLs.5.4. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in eyecix JobSearch allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.5.4. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Envira Gallery Team Envira Photo Gallery allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.8.14. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Arraytics Timetics allows Accessing Functionality Not Properly Constrained by ACLs.0.23. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Access Control vulnerability in YARPP YARPP allows .30.10. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in BearDev JoomSport allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.3.0. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Etoile Web Design Order Tracking allows Accessing Functionality Not Properly Constrained by ACLs.3.12. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in CozyThemes Hello Agency allows Accessing Functionality Not Properly Constrained by ACLs.0.5. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Jordy Meow Photo Engine allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.4.0. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Quick Facts
- Typical Severity
- CRITICAL
- Category
- auth
- Total CVEs
- 32566