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 (32612)
Improper access control in PAM dashboard in Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager 2024.2.11 and earlier on Windows allows an authenticated user to bypass the execute permission via the use of the PAM. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
There exists a vulnerability in Quick Share/Nearby, where an attacker can bypass the accept file dialog on Quick Share Windows. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1).
The Bookster WordPress plugin through 1.1.0 allows adding sensitive parameters when validating appointments allowing attackers to manipulate the data sent when booking an appointment (the request. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
An authentication issue was addressed with improved state management. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Dell PowerProtect DD, versions prior to 8.0, LTS 7.13.1.0, LTS 7.10.1.30, LTS 7.7.5.40 contain a disclosure of temporary sensitive information vulnerability. Rated low severity (CVSS 2.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Dell Data Domain, versions prior to 7.13.0.0, LTS 7.7.5.30, LTS 7.10.1.20 contain an SQL Injection vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.4), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability in the default configuration of the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) feature of Brocade Fabric OS versions before v9.0.0 could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to read. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Insecure Access Control in Safe Exam Browser (SEB) = 3.5.0 on Windows. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In WhatsUp Gold versions released before 2023.1.3, there is a missing authentication vulnerability in WUGDataAccess.Credentials. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
GigaDevice GD32E103C8T6 devices have Incorrect Access Control. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Artery AT32F415CBT7 and AT32F421C8T7 devices have Incorrect Access Control. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.4), this vulnerability is no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
Tuleap is an Open Source Suite to improve management of software developments and collaboration. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Dell PowerEdge Server BIOS contains an TOCTOU race condition vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3). No vendor patch available.
Improper Authentication vulnerability in Progress MOVEit Transfer (SFTP module) can lead to Authentication Bypass.0.0 before 2023.0.11, from 2023.1.0 before 2023.1.6, from 2024.0.0 before 2024.0.2. 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.
Improper Authentication vulnerability in Progress MOVEit Gateway (SFTP modules) allows Authentication Bypass.0.0. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing authorization in Client-Server API in Conduit <=0.7.0, allowing for any alias to be removed and added to another room, which can be used for privilege escalation by moving the #admins alias. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Authentication bypass in the 2FA feature in Devolutions Server 2024.1.14.0 and earlier allows an authenticated attacker to authenticate to another user without being asked for the 2FA via another. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Zita Elementor Site Library plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the import_xml_data, xml_data_import, import_option_data,. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Axiros AXESS Auto Configuration Server (ACS) 4.x and 5.0.0 is affected by an Incorrect Access Control vulnerability. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
H3C Magic R230 V100R002 was discovered to contain a hardcoded password vulnerability in /etc/shadow, which allows attackers to log in as root. 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 issue in Shenzhen Weitillage Industrial Co., Ltd the access management specialist V6.62.51215 allows a remote attacker to obtain sensitive information. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
XWiki Platform is a generic wiki platform offering runtime services for applications built on top of it. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Integer Underflow (Wrap or Wraparound) vulnerability in Renesas arm-trusted-firmware. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
Improper Authentication vulnerability in Play.Ht allows Accessing Functionality Not Properly Constrained by ACLs.Ht: from n/a through 3.6.4. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Membership Software WishList Member X.26.7. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The configuration file is encrypted with a static key derived from a static five-character password which allows an attacker to decrypt this file. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Bludit uses predictable methods in combination with the MD5 hashing algorithm to generate sensitive tokens such as the API token and the user token. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
A session fixation vulnerability in Bludit allows an attacker to bypass the server's authentication if they can trick an administrator or any other user into authorizing a session ID of their. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
Click Studios Passwordstate Core before 9.8 build 9858 allows Authentication Bypass. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Bricks Builder plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Insecure Direct Object Reference in all versions up to, and including, 1.9.8 via the postId parameter due to missing validation on a user. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Sparkle Demo Importer plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized database reset and demo data import due to a missing capability check on the multiple functions in all versions up to and. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The User Profile Picture plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Insecure Direct Object Reference in all versions up to, and including, 2.6.1 via the 'rest_api_change_profile_image' function due to. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
An issue was discovered in the friendlycaptcha_official (aka Integration of Friendly Captcha) extension before 0.1.4 for TYPO3. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The ConvertKit - Email Newsletter, Email Marketing, Subscribers and Landing Pages plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The WP Child Theme Generator plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the wctg_easy_child_theme() function in all versions up to,. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Hide Dashboard Notifications plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the 'warning_notices_settings' function in all versions. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The License Manager for WooCommerce plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized access of data due to a missing capability check on the showLicenseKey() and showAllLicenseKeys() functions in. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Smush plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized deletion of the resmush list due to a missing capability check on the delete_resmush_list() function. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
SFTPGo is a full-featured and highly configurable SFTP, HTTP/S, FTP/S and WebDAV server - S3, Google Cloud Storage, Azure Blob. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Slider and Carousel slider by Depicter plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Arbitrary Nonce Generation in all versions up to, and including, 3.0.2. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Lifeline Donation plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authentication bypass in versions up to, and including, 1.2.6. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Wheel of Life: Coaching and Assessment Tool for Life Coach plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification and loss of data due to a missing capability check on several functions. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Pop ups, Exit intent popups, email popups, banners, bars, countdowns and cart savers - Promolayer plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized plugin settings update due to a missing. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Materialis theme for WordPress is vulnerable to limited arbitrary options updates in versions up to, and including, 1.1.24. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), 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.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in ThemePunch OHG Slider Revolution revslider.7.0. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Hennessey Digital Attorney attorney allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
IBM Storage Protect for Virtual Environments: Data Protection for VMware 8.1.0.0 through 8.1.22.0 could allow a remote authenticated attacker to bypass security restrictions, caused by improper. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Elementor Elementor Pro.13.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The WP Maintenance plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to IP Address Spoofing in all versions up to, and including, 6.1.9.2 due to insufficient IP address validation and use of user-supplied HTTP. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Use of hard-coded credentials issue exists in Ricoh Streamline NX PC Client ver.3.7.2 and earlier. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The MIMO Woocommerce Order Tracking plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the 'mimo_update_provider' function in all versions up. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Replace Image plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Insecure Direct Object Reference in all versions up to, and including, 1.1.10 via the image replacement functionality due to missing validation. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The AliExpress Dropshipping with AliNext Lite plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized access due to a missing capability check on several functions in the ImportAjaxController.php file in. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Insufficient capability checks meant it was possible for users to gain access to BigBlueButton join URLs they did not have permission to access. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Pocketbase is an open source web backend written in go. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
A hard-coded password in the FileCatalyst TransferAgent can be found which can be used to unlock the keystore from which contents may be read out, for example, the private key for certificates. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In JetBrains YouTrack before 2024.2.34646 user without appropriate permissions could enable the auto-attach option for workflows. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In JetBrains YouTrack before 2024.2.34646 the Guest User Account was enabled for attaching files to articles. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
When Bazel Plugin in intellij imports a project (either using "import project" or "Auto import") the dialog for trusting the project is not displayed. Rated low severity (CVSS 1.0), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing authentication for critical function vulnerability exists in ID Link Manager and FUJITSU Software TIME CREATOR. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Tickera - WordPress Event Ticketing plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized loss of data due to a missing capability check on the tc_dl_delete_tickets AJAX action in all versions up. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Ibtana - WordPress Website Builder plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Scheduling Plugin - Online Booking for WordPress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized loss of data due to a missing capability check on the 'cbsb_disconnect_settings' function in. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Gin-vue-admin is a backstage management system based on vue and gin. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Firefly III is a free and open source personal finance manager. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
Evmos is the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) Hub on the Cosmos Network. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Evmos is the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) Hub on the Cosmos Network. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Improper authentication in the vault password feature in Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager 2024.1.31.0 and earlier allows an attacker that has compromised an access to an RDM instance to bypass the. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
DLL Hijacking vulnerability has been found in CENTUM CAMS Log server provided by Yokogawa Electric Corporation. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
Certain models of D-Link wireless routers contain an undisclosed factory testing backdoor. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Ghost through 5.85.1 allows remote attackers to bypass an authentication rate-limit protection mechanism by using many X-Forwarded-For headers with different values. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Shenzhen Guoxin Synthesis image system before 8.3.0 allows unauthorized password resets via the resetPassword API. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Shenzhen Guoxin Synthesis image system before 8.3.0 has a 123456Qw default password. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The AI Infographic Maker plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the qcld_openai_title_generate_desc AJAX action in all versions. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The FooEvents for WooCommerce plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized arbitrary file uploads due to an improper capability setting on the 'display_ticket_themes_page' function in versions. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
The WooCommerce - Social Login plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Email Verification in all versions up to, and including, 2.6.2 via the use of insufficiently random activation code. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Popup Builder plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data and loss of data due to a missing capability check on all AJAX actions. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.4), 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 Popup Builder - Create highly converting, mobile friendly marketing popups. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), 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.
MyFinances is a web application for managing finances. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Nextcloud Server is a self hosted personal cloud system. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Nextcloud Server is a self hosted personal cloud system. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Nextcloud Deck is a kanban style organization tool aimed at personal planning and project organization for teams integrated with Nextcloud. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Nextcloud Server is a self hosted personal cloud system. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
The Nextcloud Notes app is a distraction free notes taking app for Nextcloud. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Nextcloud Server is a self hosted personal cloud system. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
An issue in the LB-LINK BL-W1210M v2.0 router allows attackers to bypass password complexity requirements and set single digit passwords for authentication. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
TRENDnet TEW-814DAP v1_(FW1.01B01) was discovered to contain a hardcoded password vulnerability in /etc/shadow.sample, which allows attackers to log in as root. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
A user authentication vulnerability exists in the Rockwell Automation FactoryTalk® View SE. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A user authentication vulnerability exists in the Rockwell Automation FactoryTalk® View SE v12. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Nextcloud Photos is a photo management app. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Quick Facts
- Typical Severity
- CRITICAL
- Category
- auth
- Total CVEs
- 32612