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 (32890)
An issue was discovered in Emote Remote Mouse through 4.0.0.0. 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 affected product allows attackers to obtain sensitive information from the WISE-PaaS dashboard. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
VMware vRealize Business for Cloud 7.x prior to 7.6.0 contains a remote code execution vulnerability due to an unauthorised end point. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), 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 ConfigFileAction component of U.S. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
The Patient Portal of OpenEMR 5.0.2.1 is affected by a incorrect access control system in portal/patient/_machine_config.php. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
U.S. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A security vulnerability has been identified in the HPE Edgeline Infrastructure Manager, also known as HPE Edgeline Infrastructure Management Software, prior to version 1.22. 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 exists on NightOwl WDB-20-V2 WDB-20-V2_20190314 devices that allows an unauthenticated user to gain access to snapshots and video streams from the doorbell. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
kernel/bpf/verifier.c in the Linux kernel through 5.12.1 performs undesirable speculative loads, leading to disclosure of stack content via side-channel attacks, aka CID-801c6058d14a. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. This Incorrect Authorization vulnerability could allow attackers to bypass authorization checks to access restricted resources.
Hongdian H8922 3.0.5 devices have an undocumented feature that allows access to a shell as a superuser. 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.
The administrator application on ASUS GT-AC2900 devices before 3.0.0.4.386.42643 and Lyra Mini before 3.0.0.4_384_46630 allows authentication bypass when processing remote input from an. 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 has been discovered in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions starting from 13.8. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
omr-admin.py in openmptcprouter-vps-admin 0.57.3 and earlier compares the user provided password with the original password in a length dependent manner, which allows remote attackers to guess the. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. Public exploit code available.
In Python before 3,9,5, the ipaddress library mishandles leading zero characters in the octets of an IP address string. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
An AJAX action registered by the WPBakery Page Builder (Visual Composer) Clipboard WordPress plugin before 4.5.8 did not have capability checks, allowing low privilege users, such as subscribers, to. 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 has been discovered in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions starting from 13.7. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Dell EMC Integrated System for Microsoft Azure Stack Hub, versions 1906 - 2011, contain an undocumented default iDRAC account. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability in Cisco SD-WAN vManage Software could allow an unauthenticated, adjacent attacker to gain access to sensitive information. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Multiple vulnerabilities in Cisco SD-WAN vManage Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary code or gain access to sensitive information, or allow an authenticated,. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Multiple vulnerabilities in Cisco SD-WAN vManage Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary code or gain access to sensitive information, or allow an authenticated,. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Multiple vulnerabilities in Cisco SD-WAN vManage Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary code or gain access to sensitive information, or allow an authenticated,. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco HyperFlex HX Data Platform could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to upload files to an affected device. 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.
A vulnerability in the Java Management Extensions (JMX) component of Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Unified CM) and Cisco Unified Communications Manager Session Management Edition (Unified CM. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Multiple vulnerabilities in Cisco SD-WAN vManage Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary code or gain access to sensitive information, or allow an authenticated,. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability in the web-based messaging service interface of Cisco SD-WAN vManage Software could allow an unauthenticated, adjacent attacker to bypass authentication and authorization and modify. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Multiple vulnerabilities in Cisco SD-WAN vManage Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary code or gain access to sensitive information, or allow an authenticated,. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
IBM QRadar SIEM 7.3 and 7.4 contains hard-coded credentials, such as a password or cryptographic key, which it uses for its own inbound authentication, outbound communication to external components,. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
October is a free, open-source, self-hosted CMS platform based on the Laravel PHP Framework. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.2), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. This Missing Authorization vulnerability could allow attackers to access resources or perform actions without proper authorization checks.
Dell EMC iDRAC9 versions prior to 4.40.00.00 contain an improper authentication vulnerability. Rated low severity (CVSS 2.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Dell Unisphere for PowerMax versions prior to 9.2.1.6 contain an Authorization Bypass Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Insufficient policy enforcement in extensions in Google Chrome prior to 90.0.4430.93 allowed an attacker who convinced a user to install a malicious extension to bypass navigation restrictions via a. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
AMP Application Deployment Service in CubeCoders AMP 2.1.x before 2.1.1.2 allows a remote, authenticated user to open ports in the local system firewall by crafting an HTTP(S) request directly to the. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Dell Hybrid Client versions prior to 1.5 contain a missing authentication for a critical function vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
NVIDIA vGPU driver contains a vulnerability in the Virtual GPU Manager (vGPU plugin), which could allow an attacker to retrieve information that could lead to a Address Space Layout Randomization. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
NVIDIA vGPU driver contains a vulnerability in the Virtual GPU Manager (vGPU plugin) where it allows guests to control unauthorized resources, which may lead to integrity and confidentiality loss or. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Multiple Cisco products are affected by a vulnerability in the Snort detection engine that could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass a configured file policy for HTTP. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability in an access control mechanism of Cisco Firepower Management Center (FMC) Software could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to access services beyond the scope of their. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In versions 8.2.1 through 8.5.2 of Pega Infinity, the password reset functionality for local accounts can be used to bypass local authentication checks. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The web interfaces of Buffalo WSR-2533DHPL2 firmware version <= 1.02 and WSR-2533DHP3 firmware version <= 1.24 do not properly restrict access to sensitive information from an unauthorized actor. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A remote unauthorized access vulnerability was discovered in Aruba AirWave Management Platform version(s) prior to 8.2.12.1. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A remote unauthorized access vulnerability was discovered in Aruba AirWave Management Platform version(s) prior to 8.2.12.1. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox product of Oracle Virtualization (component: Core). Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.0), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. This Out-of-bounds Read vulnerability could allow attackers to read data from memory outside the intended buffer boundaries.
A remote authentication restriction bypass vulnerability was discovered in Aruba AirWave Management Platform version(s) prior to 8.2.12.1. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
Redmine before 4.0.9, 4.1.x before 4.1.3, and 4.2.x before 4.2.1 allows attackers to bypass the add_issue_notes permission requirement by leveraging the incoming mail handler. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper access control vulnerability in Buffalo broadband routers (BHR-4GRV firmware Ver.1.99 and prior, DWR-HP-G300NH firmware Ver.1.83 and prior, HW-450HP-ZWE firmware Ver.1.99 and prior,. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Nacos is a platform designed for dynamic service discovery and configuration and service management. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Nacos is a platform designed for dynamic service discovery and configuration and service management. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Improper access control vulnerability in Hot Pepper Gourmet App for Android ver.4.111.0 and earlier, and for iOS ver.4.111.0 and earlier allows a remote attacker to lead a user to access an arbitrary. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The default administrator account & password of the EDIMAX wireless network camera is hard-coded. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
Inappropriate implementation in Autofill in Google Chrome prior to 90.0.4430.72 allowed a remote attacker to spoof security UI 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 Autofill in Google Chrome prior to 90.0.4430.72 allowed a remote attacker to spoof security UI 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 policy enforcement in navigation in Google Chrome on iOS prior to 90.0.4430.72 allowed a remote attacker to bypass navigation restrictions via a crafted HTML page. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The package github.com/tyktechnologies/tyk-identity-broker before 1.1.1 are vulnerable to Authentication Bypass via the Go XML parser which can cause SAML authentication bypass. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), 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.
Missing authentication for critical function in DAP-1880AC firmware version 1.21 and earlier allows a remote attacker to login to the device as an authenticated user without the access privilege via. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper access control vulnerability in DAP-1880AC firmware version 1.21 and earlier allows a remote authenticated attacker to bypass access restriction and to start a telnet service via unspecified. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper access control vulnerability in Gurunavi App for Android ver.10.0.10 and earlier and for iOS ver.11.1.2 and earlier allows a remote attacker to lead a user to access an arbitrary website via. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Sonatype Nexus Repository Manager 3 Pro up to and including 3.30.0 has Incorrect Access Control. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. This Incorrect Authorization vulnerability could allow attackers to bypass authorization checks to access restricted resources.
Cscape (All versions prior to 9.90 SP4) is configured by default to be installed for all users, which allows full permissions, including read/write access. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Pulse Connect Secure 9.0R3/9.1R1 and higher is vulnerable to an authentication bypass vulnerability exposed by the Windows File Share Browser and Pulse Secure Collaboration features of Pulse Connect. Rated critical severity (CVSS 10.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Automox Agent prior to version 31 uses an insufficiently protected S3 bucket endpoint for storing sensitive files, which could be brute-forced by an attacker to subvert an organization's security. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An improper authorization of using debugging command in Secure Folder prior to SMR Oct-2020 Release 1 allows unauthorized access to contents in Secure Folder via debugging command. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The xmlhttprequest-ssl package before 1.6.1 for Node.js disables SSL certificate validation by default, because rejectUnauthorized (when the property exists but is undefined) is considered to be. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Vulnerability in the Oracle HRMS (France) product of Oracle E-Business Suite (component: French HR). Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle HTTP Server product of Oracle Fusion Middleware (component: Web Listener). Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle Application Object Library product of Oracle E-Business Suite (component: Profiles). Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle Hospitality Inventory Management product of Oracle Food and Beverage Applications (component: Export to Reporting and Analytics). Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the MySQL Server product of Oracle MySQL (component: Server: Information Schema). Rated low severity (CVSS 2.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Vulnerability in the MySQL Server product of Oracle MySQL (component: Server: Packaging). Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox product of Oracle Virtualization (component: Core). Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.0), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the OSS Support Tools product of Oracle Support Tools (component: Diagnostic Assistant). Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the MySQL Server product of Oracle MySQL (component: Server: Information Schema). Rated low severity (CVSS 2.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox product of Oracle Virtualization (component: Core). Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3).
Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox product of Oracle Virtualization (component: Core). Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3).
Vulnerability in the Oracle Concurrent Processing product of Oracle E-Business Suite (component: BI Publisher Integration). Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle Document Management and Collaboration product of Oracle E-Business Suite (component: Document Management). Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox product of Oracle Virtualization (component: Core). Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.7).
Vulnerability in the Oracle Engineering product of Oracle E-Business Suite (component: Change Management). Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle Product Hub product of Oracle E-Business Suite (component: Template, GTIN search). Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle Bills of Material product of Oracle E-Business Suite (component: Bill Issues). Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox product of Oracle Virtualization (component: Core). Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox product of Oracle Virtualization (component: Core). Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox product of Oracle Virtualization (component: Core). Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox product of Oracle Virtualization (component: Core). Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox product of Oracle Virtualization (component: Core). Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox product of Oracle Virtualization (component: Core). Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox product of Oracle Virtualization (component: Core). Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox product of Oracle Virtualization (component: Core). Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle Coherence product of Oracle Fusion Middleware (component: Core). Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle iSetup product of Oracle E-Business Suite (component: General Ledger Update Transform, Reports). Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle Applications Manager product of Oracle E-Business Suite (component: View Reports). Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Quick Facts
- Typical Severity
- CRITICAL
- Category
- auth
- Total CVEs
- 32890