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 (32651)
A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco IP Phone firmware could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to retrieve sensitive information from an affected device. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Pluto is a superset of Lua 5.4 with a focus on general-purpose programming. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
Dell OpenManage Enterprise, versions 3.10 and 4.0, contains an Improper Access Control vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The entire parent directory - C:\ScadaPro and its sub-directories and files are configured by default to allow user, including unprivileged users, to write or overwrite files. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Arbitrary File Read vulnerability in novel-plus 4.3.0 and before allows a remote attacker to obtain sensitive information via a crafted GET request using the filePath parameter. 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.
Implementations of IPMI Authenticated sessions does not provide enough randomness to protect from session hijacking, allowing an attacker to use either predictable IPMI Session ID or weak BMC Random. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
ReCrystallize Server 5.10.0.0 uses a authorization mechanism that relies on the value of a cookie, but it does not bind the cookie value to a session ID. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Anti-tampering protection of the Zscaler Client Connector can be bypassed under certain conditions when running the Repair App functionality. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability exists in the RTU500 that allows for authenticated and authorized users to bypass secure update, if secure update feature was not enabled on all CMUs of a RTU500. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability exists in the web-authentication component of the SDM600. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.0). No vendor patch available.
The Customer Email Verification for WooCommerce plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Email Verification and Authentication Bypass in all versions up to, and including, 2.7.4 via the use of. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
The ACF Front End Editor plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the update_texts() function in all versions up to, and including,. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Multiple security vulnerabilities has been discovered in web interface of NetGuardian DIN Remote Telemetry Unit (RTU), by DPS Telecom. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.6), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The LeadConnector plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification & loss of data due to a missing capability check on the lc_public_api_proxy() function in all versions up to, and. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Insecure Direct Object References (IDOR) vulnerability in Hospital Management System 1.0 allows attackers to manipulate user parameters for unauthorized access and modifications via crafted POST. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in codeSavory Knowledge Base documentation & wiki plugin - BasePress.16.1. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Copy Content Protection Team Secure Copy Content Protection and Content Locking.9.0. 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 Photo Gallery Team Photo Gallery by 10Web.8.20. 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 Tyche Softwares Payment Gateway Based Fees and Discounts for WooCommerce.12.1. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in WPOmnia KB Support.6.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Jewel Theme Master Addons for Elementor.0.5.4.1. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Leaky Paywall.20.8. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in RedNao Smart Forms.6.91. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Tips and Tricks HQ Easy Accept Payments.9.10. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Pdfcrowd Save as PDF plugin by Pdfcrowd allows Stored XSS.2.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Mahesh Vora WP Page Post Widget Clone.0.1. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Piotnet Piotnet Addons For Elementor Pro.1.17. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in ProFaceOff SSU.5.0. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Five Star Plugins Five Star Restaurant Reservations.6.16. 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 8theme XStore Core.3.5. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Dell OpenManage Enterprise, versions 4.0.0 and 4.0.1, contains a sensitive information disclosure vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Real Big Plugins Client Dash.2.1. 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 N-Media OrderConvo allows OS Command Injection.4. Rated critical severity (CVSS 10.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
ArmorX Android APP's multi-factor authentication (MFA) for the login function is not properly implemented. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Extend Themes Pathway, Extend Themes Hugo WP, Extend Themes Althea WP, Extend Themes Elevate WP, Extend Themes Brite, Extend Themes Colibri WP, Extend Themes. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key vulnerability in Fabio Rinaldi Crelly Slider.4.5. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The GamiPress WordPress plugin before 6.8.9's access control mechanism fails to properly restrict access to its settings, permitting Authors to manipulate requests and extend access to lower. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Delinea Secret Server before 11.7.000001 allows attackers to bypass authentication via the SOAP API in SecretServer/webservices/SSWebService.asmx. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Danswer is the AI Assistant connected to company's docs, apps, and people. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Asus RT-N12+ B1 router stores user passwords in plaintext, which could allow local attackers to obtain unauthorized access and modify router settings. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.4), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Asus RT-N12+ B1 router stores credentials in cleartext, which could allow local attackers to obtain unauthorized access and modify router settings. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Jerryscript commit cefd391 was discovered to contain a segmentation violation via the component parser_parse_class at jerry-core/parser/js/js-parser-expr.c. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.1), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
A missing authentication for critical function vulnerability has been reported to affect myQNAPcloud Link. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Aazztech Post Slider.6.7. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in impleCode Reviews Plus.3.4. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Live Composer Team Page Builder: Live Composer.5.38. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Supsystic Data Tables Generator by Supsystic.10.31. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Octolize Flexible Shipping.24.15. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Vektor,Inc. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Mattermost versions 9.6.0, 9.5.x before 9.5.3, and 8.1.x before 8.1.12 fail to fully validate role changes which allows an attacker authenticated as team admin to demote users to guest via crafted. Rated low severity (CVSS 2.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Mattermost versions 9.6.0, 9.5.x before 9.5.3, and 8.1.x before 8.1.12 fail to fully validate role changes, which allows an attacker authenticated as a team admin to promote guests to team admins via. Rated low severity (CVSS 2.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Blog2Social: Social Media Auto Post & Scheduler plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 7.4.2. 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 Skylab IGX IIoT Gateway allowed users to connect to it via a limited shell terminal (IGX). Rated high severity (CVSS 8.0), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in Veritas Backup Exec before 22.2 HotFix 917391. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in Zammad before 6.3.0. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in Zammad before 6.3.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in Zammad before 6.3.0. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue discovered in Yealink VP59 Teams Editions with firmware version 91.15.0.118 allows a physically proximate attacker to gain control of an account via a flaw in the factory reset procedure. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
A security vulnerability has been discovered within rpm-ostree, pertaining to the /etc/shadow file in default builds having the world-readable bit enabled. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.2), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue has been discovered in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions starting from 16.7 before 16.9.6, all versions starting from 16.10 before 16.10.4, all versions starting from 16.11 before 16.11.1. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
An issue has been discovered in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions before 16.9.6, all versions starting from 16.10 before 16.10.4, all versions starting from 16.11 before 16.11.1. 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 MonsterInsights Google Analytics by Monster Insights.21.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Authentication vulnerability in EazyPlugins Eazy Plugin Manager allows Accessing Functionality Not Properly Constrained by ACLs.1.2. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Classified Listing - Classified ads & Business Directory Plugin plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized loss of data due to a missing capability check on the. 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.
Improper Authentication vulnerability in Abdul Hakeem Build App Online allows Privilege Escalation.0.19. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A logic issue was addressed with improved checks. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Authentication vulnerability in BUDDYBOSS DMCC BuddyBoss Theme allows Accessing Functionality Not Properly Constrained by ACLs.4.60. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Authentication vulnerability in Mestres do WP Checkout Mestres WP allows Privilege Escalation.1.9.7. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Authentication vulnerability in Mestres do WP Checkout Mestres WP allows Accessing Functionality Not Properly Constrained by ACLs.1.9.7. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in TrackShip TrackShip for WooCommerce.7.5. 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 LoginPress LoginPress Pro.0.0. 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 Xfinity Soft Order Limit for WooCommerce.0.0. 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 Ovic Team Ovic Addon Toolkit.6.1. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Authentication vulnerability in Repute Infosystems BookingPress allows Accessing Functionality Not Properly Constrained by ACLs.0.74. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Authentication vulnerability in Elementor Elementor Website Builder allows Accessing Functionality Not Properly Constrained by ACLs.16.4. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Daniel Powney Multi Rating allows Functionality Misuse.0.6. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Authentication, Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in xtemos WoodMart allows Cross-Site Scripting (XSS).0.4. 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 Shoaib Saleem WP Post Rating allows Functionality Misuse.5. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key vulnerability in FeedbackWP Rate my Post - WP Rating System.4.4. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key vulnerability in Metagauss ProfileGrid.7.9. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key vulnerability in Metagauss ProfileGrid.7.9. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Quiz Maker team Quiz Maker.3.9.4. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in BloomPixel Max Addons Pro for Bricks.6.1. 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 Repute Infosystems ARMember.0.28. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
cdbattags lua-resty-jwt 0.2.3 allows attackers to bypass all JWT-parsing signature checks by crafting a JWT with an enc header with the value A256GCM. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Active debug code vulnerability exists in RoamWiFi R10 prior to 4.8.45. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Anssi Laitila Shared Files shared-files.7.16. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Elespare - Build Your Blog, News & Magazine Websites with Expert-Designed Template Kits. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Quick Featured Images plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the set_thumbnail and delete_thumbnail functions in all versions. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A security issue was discovered in Kubernetes where users may be able to launch containers that bypass the mountable secrets policy enforced by the ServiceAccount admission plugin when using. Rated low severity (CVSS 2.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Quick Facts
- Typical Severity
- CRITICAL
- Category
- auth
- Total CVEs
- 32651