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 (32821)
A flaw was found in Keycloak. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A flaw was found in Keycloak, where it did not properly check client tokens for possible revocation in its client credential flow. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
InHand Networks InRouter 302, prior to version IR302 V3.5.56, and InRouter 615, prior to version InRouter6XX-S-V2.3.0.r5542, contain vulnerability CWE-330: Use of Insufficiently Random Values. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
InHand Networks InRouter 302, prior to version IR302 V3.5.56, and InRouter 615, prior to version InRouter6XX-S-V2.3.0.r5542, contain vulnerability CWE-284: Improper Access Control. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
Flarum is a forum software for building communities. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), 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.
Flarum is a forum software for building communities. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
In the GrowthExperiments extension for MediaWiki through 1.39, the growthmanagementorlist API allows blocked users (blocked in ApiManageMentorList) to enroll as mentors or edit any of their. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. This Incorrect Authorization vulnerability could allow attackers to bypass authorization checks to access restricted resources.
Windows Smart Card Resource Management Server Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Windows Backup Service Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Windows Kernel Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Microsoft SharePoint Server Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Microsoft SharePoint Server Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
BitLocker Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Windows SMB Witness Service Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Azure Service Fabric Container Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.0). No vendor patch available.
Windows Local Security Authority (LSA) Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Deck is a kanban style organization tool aimed at personal planning and project organization for teams integrated with Nextcloud. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Inappropriate implementation in in File System API in Google Chrome on Windows prior to 109.0.5414.74 allowed a remote attacker to bypass file system restrictions via a crafted HTML page. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Insufficient validation of untrusted input in Downloads in Google Chrome on Windows prior to 109.0.5414.74 allowed a remote attacker to bypass download restrictions via a crafted HTML page. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Inappropriate implementation in in Permission prompts in Google Chrome on Android prior to 109.0.5414.74 allowed a remote attacker to bypass main origin permission delegation via a crafted HTML page. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Inappropriate implementation in in iframe Sandbox in Google Chrome prior to 109.0.5414.74 allowed a remote attacker to bypass file download restrictions via a crafted HTML page. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Royal Elementor Addons plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to insufficient access control in the 'wpr_save_mega_menu_settings' AJAX action in versions up to, and including, 1.3.59. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
The Royal Elementor Addons plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to insufficient access control in the 'wpr_import_library_template' AJAX action in versions up to, and including, 1.3.59. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Royal Elementor Addons plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to insufficient access control in the 'wpr_save_template_conditions' AJAX action in versions up to, and including, 1.3.59. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Royal Elementor Addons plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to insufficient access control in the 'wpr_final_settings_setup' AJAX action in versions up to, and including, 1.3.59. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Royal Elementor Addons plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to insufficient access control in the 'wpr_import_templates_kit' AJAX action in versions up to, and including, 1.3.59. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Royal Elementor Addons plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to insufficient access control in the 'wpr_reset_previous_import' AJAX action in versions up to, and including, 1.3.59. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Royal Elementor Addons plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to insufficient access control in the 'wpr_fix_royal_compatibility' AJAX action in versions up to, and including, 1.3.59. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Royal Elementor Addons plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to insufficient access control in the 'wpr_activate_required_plugins' AJAX action in versions up to, and including, 1.3.59. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Royal Elementor Addons plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to insufficient access control in the 'wpr_activate_required_theme' AJAX action in versions up to, and including, 1.3.59. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
api/views/user.py in LibrePhotos before e19e539 has incorrect access control. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
An unauthenticated attacker in SAP NetWeaver AS for Java - version 7.50, due to improper access control, can attach to an open interface and make use of an open naming and directory API to access. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In SAP Host Agent (Windows) - versions 7.21, 7.22, an attacker who gains local membership to SAP_LocalAdmin could be able to replace executables with a malicious file that will be started under a. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Talk-Android enables users to have video & audio calls through Nextcloud on Android. Rated low severity (CVSS 2.1), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
platform_callback_stub in misc subsystem within OpenHarmony-v3.0.5 and prior versions has an authentication bypass vulnerability which allows an "SA relay attack".Local attackers can bypass. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
softbus_client_stub in communication subsystem within OpenHarmony-v3.0.5 and prior versions has an authentication bypass vulnerability which allows an "SA relay attack".Local attackers can bypass. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
KubePi is a k8s panel. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Improper Authorization in GitHub repository froxlor/froxlor prior to 2.0.0-beta1. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
An issue was discovered in Mellium mellium.im/sasl before 0.3.1. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
NVIDIA Control Panel for Windows contains a vulnerability where an unauthorized user or an unprivileged regular user can compromise the security of the software by gaining privileges, reading. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In the fix for CVE-2022-24697, a blacklist is used to filter user input commands. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
ISOS firmwares from versions 1.81 to 2.00 contain hardcoded credentials from embedded StreamX installer that integrators are not forced to change. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
StreamX applications from versions 6.02.01 to 6.04.34 are affected by a path traversal vulnerability that allows authenticated users to get unauthorized access to files on the server's filesystem. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Alpine is a scaffolding library in Java. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. This Improper Authentication vulnerability could allow attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms to gain unauthorized access.
Alpine is a scaffolding library in Java. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Huawei Aslan Children's Watch has an improper authorization vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
There is an insufficient authentication vulnerability in some Huawei band products. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Access Control in GitHub repository usememos/memos prior to 0.9.1. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key in GitHub repository usememos/memos prior to 0.9.1. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key vulnerability in usememos usememos/memos.9.1. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Improper Access Control in GitHub repository usememos/memos prior to 0.9.1. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Improper Access Control in GitHub repository usememos/memos prior to 0.9.1. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Improper Access Control in GitHub repository usememos/memos prior to 0.9.1. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key in GitHub repository usememos/memos prior to 0.9.1. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Improper Authorization in GitHub repository usememos/memos prior to 0.9.1. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key in GitHub repository usememos/memos prior to 0.9.1. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key in GitHub repository usememos/memos prior to 0.9.1. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key in GitHub repository usememos/memos prior to 0.9.1. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key in GitHub repository usememos/memos prior to 0.9.1. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
LiuOS is a small Python project meant to imitate the functions of a regular operating system. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
authentik is an open-source Identity Provider focused on flexibility and versatility. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
https://www.hillstonenet.com.cn/ Hillstone Firewall SG-6000 <= 5.0.4.0 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.
A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Rockwell Automation Studio 5000 Logix Emulate software. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Some Dahua software products have a vulnerability of unauthenticated traceroute host from remote DSS Server. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. This Missing Authentication for Critical Function vulnerability could allow attackers to access critical functionality without authentication.
Some Dahua software products have a vulnerability of unauthenticated search for devices. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. This Missing Authentication for Critical Function vulnerability could allow attackers to access critical functionality without authentication.
Some Dahua software products have a vulnerability of unauthenticated restart of remote DSS Server. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Some Dahua software products have a vulnerability of unauthenticated enable or disable SSHD service. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required.
Some Dahua software products have a vulnerability of using of hard-coded cryptographic key. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. This Use of Hard-coded Credentials vulnerability could allow attackers to gain access using credentials embedded in source code.
Some Dahua software products have a vulnerability of unauthenticated request of AES crypto key. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. This Missing Authentication for Critical Function vulnerability could allow attackers to access critical functionality without authentication.
Some Dahua software products have a vulnerability of unauthenticated request of MQTT credentials. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. This Missing Authentication for Critical Function vulnerability could allow attackers to access critical functionality without authentication.
Improper Access Control in GitHub repository ikus060/rdiffweb prior to 2.5.5. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Authentication Bypass by Primary Weakness in GitHub repository ikus060/rdiffweb prior to 2.5.5. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
An issue was discovered in Simmeth Lieferantenmanager before 5.6. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in Simmeth Lieferantenmanager before 5.6. 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.
Planet eStream before 6.72.10.07 allows attackers to call restricted functions, and perform unauthenticated uploads (Upload2.ashx) or access content uploaded by other users (View.aspx after. 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.
An image signature validation bypass vulnerability in Kyverno 1.8.3 and 1.8.4 allows a malicious image registry (or a man-in-the-middle attacker) to inject unsigned arbitrary container images into a. 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.
An improper access validation vulnerability exists in airMAX AC <8.7.11, airFiber 60/LR <2.6.2, airFiber 60 XG/HD <v1.0.0 and airFiber GBE <1.4.1 that allows a malicious actor to retrieve status and. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
A vulnerability exists in curl <7.87.0 HSTS check that could be bypassed to trick it to keep using HTTP. 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.
Improper Access Control in GitHub repository usememos/memos prior to 0.9.0. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Improper Authorization in GitHub repository usememos/memos prior to 0.9.0. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key in GitHub repository usememos/memos prior to 0.9.0. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Improper Access Control in GitHub repository usememos/memos prior to 0.9.0. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Pi-Hole is a network-wide ad blocking via your own Linux hardware, AdminLTE is a Pi-hole Dashboard for stats and more. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
The Jeg Elementor Kit plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authorization bypass in various functions used to update the plugin settings in versions up to, and including, 2.5.6. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and EPSS exploitation probability 11.1%.
The Jeg Elementor Kit plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authorization bypass in various AJAX actions in versions up to, and including, 2.5.6. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
The executable file warning was not presented when downloading .atloc and .ftploc files, which can run commands on a user's computer. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
When a ServiceWorker intercepted a request with <code>FetchEvent</code>, the origin of the request was lost after the ServiceWorker took ownership of it. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An attacker could have written a value to the first element in a zero-length JavaScript array. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
IBM Security Verify Governance, Identity Manager 10.0.1 software component could allow an authenticated user to modify or cancel any other user's access request using man-in-the-middle techniques. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. This Improper Authentication vulnerability could allow attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms to gain unauthorized access.
When a TLS Certificate error occurs on a domain protected by the HSTS header, the browser should not allow the user to bypass the certificate error. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Quick Facts
- Typical Severity
- CRITICAL
- Category
- auth
- Total CVEs
- 32821