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 (37807)
Vulnerability in the Oracle Agile PLM product of Oracle Supply Chain (component: WebClient). Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the MySQL Server product of Oracle MySQL (component: Server: Security: Privileges). Rated low severity (CVSS 2.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Vulnerability in the Unified Audit component of Oracle Database Server. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle Health Sciences Sciences Data Management Workbench product of Oracle Health Sciences Applications (component: Blinding Functionality). Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition product of Oracle Analytics (component: Analytics Server). Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools product of Oracle PeopleSoft (component: Portal). Rated high severity (CVSS 8.4), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition product of Oracle Analytics (component: Analytics Server). Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition product of Oracle Analytics (component: Analytics Server). Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in Oracle Essbase (component: Security and Provisioning). Rated low severity (CVSS 2.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable.
Vulnerability in the Oracle Self-Service Human Resources product of Oracle E-Business Suite (component: Workforce Management). Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle Java SE, Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition, Oracle GraalVM for JDK product of Oracle Java SE (component: Networking). Rated low severity (CVSS 3.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required.
Vulnerability in the Oracle Applications Technology product of Oracle E-Business Suite (component: Reports Configuration). Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle Mobile Security Suite product of Oracle Fusion Middleware (component: Android Mobile Authenticator App). Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle Hyperion Essbase Administration Services product of Oracle Essbase (component: EAS Administration and EAS Console). Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.0), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Advanced Networking Option component of Oracle Database Server. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required.
Missing Authentication for a Critical Function within the Kratos NGC Indoor Unit (IDU) before 11.4 allows remote attackers to obtain arbitrary control of the IDU/ODU system. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Iagona ScrutisWeb versions 2.1.37 and prior are vulnerable to a cryptographic vulnerability that could allow an unauthenticated user to decrypt encrypted passwords into plaintext. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
AMI MegaRAC SPx12 contains a vulnerability in BMC where a User may cause an authentication bypass by spoofing the HTTP header. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.0), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Spring Security versions 5.8 prior to 5.8.5, 6.0 prior to 6.0.5, and 6.1 prior to 6.1.2 could be susceptible to authorization rule misconfiguration if the application uses requestMatchers(String) and. 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.
In Hazelcast through 5.0.4, 5.1 through 5.1.6, and 5.2 through 5.2.3, executor services don't check client permissions properly, allowing authenticated users to execute tasks on members without the. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Authentication vulnerability in miniOrange OAuth Single Sign On - SSO (OAuth Client) plugin allows Authentication Bypass.23.3. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
The ProfileGrid plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the 'edit_group' handler in versions up to, and including, 5.5.2. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. This Missing Authorization vulnerability could allow attackers to access resources or perform actions without proper authorization checks.
The ProfileGrid plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the 'profile_magic_check_smtp_connection' function in versions up to, and. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), 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 Export and Import Users and Customers plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the 'hf_update_customer' function called via an. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. This Incorrect Authorization vulnerability could allow attackers to bypass authorization checks to access restricted resources.
The ProfileGrid plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the 'pm_upload_csv' function in versions up to, and including, 5.5.1. 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.
CasaOS is an open-source Personal Cloud system. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
CasaOS is an open-source Personal Cloud system. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Mattermost WelcomeBot plugin fails to to validate the membership status when inviting or adding users to channels allowing guest accounts to be added or invited to channels by default. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Mattermost fails to invalidate previously generated password reset tokens when a new reset token was created. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Mattermost fails to delete card attachments in Boards, allowing an attacker to access deleted attachments. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Mattermost fails to properly show information in the UI, allowing a system admin to modify a board state allowing any user with a valid sharing link to join the board with editor access, without the. Rated low severity (CVSS 2.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Mattermost fails to disable public Boards after the "Enable Publicly-Shared Boards" configuration option is disabled, resulting in previously-shared public Boards to remain accessible. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Mattermost fails to properly check the authorization of POST /api/v4/teams when passing a team override scheme ID in the request, allowing an authenticated attacker with knowledge of a Team Override. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
Mattermost fails to verify channel membership when linking a board to a channel allowing a low-privileged authenticated user to link a Board to a private channel they don't have access to,. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered on Espressif ESP32 3.0 (ESP32_rev300 ROM) devices. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key vulnerability in Origin Software ATS Pro allows Authentication Abuse, Authentication Bypass. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Authentication Bypass by Primary Weakness vulnerability in Oliva Expertise Oliva Expertise EKS allows Collect Data as Provided by Users.2. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key in GitHub repository alextselegidis/easyappointments prior to 1.5.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
A hidden API exists in TapHome's core platform before version 2023.2 that allows an authenticated, low privileged user to change passwords of other users without any prior knowledge. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
IBM Robotic Process Automation 21.0.0 through 21.0.7.6 and 23.0.0 through 23.0.6 is vulnerable to client side validation bypass which could allow invalid changes or values in some fields. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), 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.
The web interface on the RIGOL MSO5000 digital oscilloscope with firmware 00.01.03.00.03 allows remote attackers to change the admin password via a zero-length pass0 to the webcontrol changepwd.cgi. 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.
Plane version 0.7.1 allows an unauthenticated attacker to view all stored server files of all users. 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.
Warpgate is an SSH, HTTPS and MySQL bastion host for Linux that doesn't need special client apps. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. This Improper Authentication vulnerability could allow attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms to gain unauthorized access.
Discourse is an open source discussion platform. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Weave GitOps Terraform Controller (aka Weave TF-controller) is a controller for Flux to reconcile Terraform resources in a GitOps way. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Microsoft Edge for iOS Spoofing Vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
The configuration from the PCU can be modified without authentication using physical connection to the PCU. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Sourcecodester Online Computer and Laptop Store 1.0 is vulnerable to Incorrect Access Control, which allows remote attackers to elevate privileges to the administrator's role. 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.
Umbraco is a ASP.NET CMS. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
JavaScript pre-processing can be used by the attacker to gain access to the file system (read-only access on behalf of user "zabbix") on the Zabbix Server or Zabbix Proxy, potentially leading to. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue has been discovered in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions starting from 15.3 before 15.11.10, all versions starting from 16.0 before 16.0.6, all versions starting from 16.1 before 16.1.1,. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
coreruleset (aka OWASP ModSecurity Core Rule Set) through 3.3.4 does not detect multiple Content-Type request headers on some platforms. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. This Access of Resource Using Incompatible Type (Type Confusion) vulnerability could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code by exploiting type confusion in the application.
SonicWall GMS and Analytics CAS Web Services application use static values for authentication without proper checks leading to authentication bypass vulnerability.3.2-SP1 and earlier versions;. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue has been discovered in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions starting from 13.7 before 15.11.10, all versions starting from 16.0 before 16.0.6, all versions starting from 16.1 before 16.1.1. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue has been discovered in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions starting from 13.10 before 15.11.10, all versions starting from 16.0 before 16.0.6, all versions starting from 16.1 before 16.1.1. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In updateSettingsInternalLI of InstallPackageHelper.java, there is a possible way to sideload an app in the work profile due to a missing permission check. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. This Missing Authorization vulnerability could allow attackers to access resources or perform actions without proper authorization checks.
In SettingsHomepageActivity.java, there is a possible way to launch arbitrary activities via Settings due to a logic error in the code. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. This Incorrect Authorization vulnerability could allow attackers to bypass authorization checks to access restricted resources.
In getCurrentState of OneTimePermissionUserManager.java, there is a possible way to hold one-time permissions after the app is being killed due to a logic error in the code. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. This Incorrect Authorization vulnerability could allow attackers to bypass authorization checks to access restricted resources.
In getAvailabilityStatus of WifiScanningMainSwitchPreferenceController.java, there is a possible way to bypass a device policy restriction due to a missing permission check. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. This Missing Authorization vulnerability could allow attackers to access resources or perform actions without proper authorization checks.
In getAvailabilityStatus of BluetoothScanningMainSwitchPreferenceController.java, there is a possible way to bypass a device policy restriction due to a missing permission check. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. This Missing Authorization vulnerability could allow attackers to access resources or perform actions without proper authorization checks.
In showNextSecurityScreenOrFinish of KeyguardSecurityContainerController.java, there is a possible way to access the lock screen during device setup due to a logic error in the code. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. This Incorrect Authorization vulnerability could allow attackers to bypass authorization checks to access restricted resources.
The authentication mechanism in PowerShield SNMP Web Pro 1.1 contains a vulnerability that allows unauthenticated users to directly access Common Gateway Interface (CGI) scripts without proper. 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.
A missing permission check in Jenkins ElasticBox CI Plugin 5.0.1 and earlier allows attackers with Overall/Read permission to connect to an attacker-specified URL using attacker-specified credentials. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A missing permission check in Jenkins Benchmark Evaluator Plugin 1.0.1 and earlier allows attackers with Overall/Read permission to connect to an attacker-specified URL and to check for the existence. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A missing permission check in Jenkins Sumologic Publisher Plugin 2.2.1 and earlier allows attackers with Overall/Read permission to connect to an attacker-specified URL. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A missing permission check in Jenkins Test Results Aggregator Plugin 1.2.13 and earlier allows attackers with Overall/Read permission to connect to an attacker-specified URL using attacker-specified. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A missing permission check in Jenkins mabl Plugin 0.0.46 and earlier allows attackers with Overall/Read permission to connect to an attacker-specified URL using attacker-specified credentials IDs. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A missing permission check in Jenkins mabl Plugin 0.0.46 and earlier allows attackers with Overall/Read permission to enumerate credentials IDs of credentials stored in Jenkins. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A missing permission check in Jenkins Orka by MacStadium Plugin 1.33 and earlier allows attackers with Overall/Read permission to connect to an attacker-specified URL using attacker-specified. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A missing permission check in Jenkins SAML Single Sign On(SSO) Plugin 2.1.0 through 2.3.0 (both inclusive) allows attackers with Overall/Read permission to download a string representation of the. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A missing permission check in Jenkins Datadog Plugin 5.4.1 and earlier allows attackers with Overall/Read permission to connect to an attacker-specified URL using attacker-specified credentials IDs. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Adobe ColdFusion versions 2018u16 (and earlier), 2021u6 (and earlier) and 2023.0.0.330468 (and earlier) are affected by an Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts vulnerability that. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Incorrect Authorization vulnerability in Apache Software Foundation Apache Pulsar Function Worker.10.4, and 2.11.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Apache Airflow, versions before 2.6.3, is affected by a vulnerability that allows unauthorized read access to a DAG through the URL. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. This Incorrect Authorization vulnerability could allow attackers to bypass authorization checks to access restricted resources.
Improper Authentication vulnerability in Apache Software Foundation Apache Pulsar Broker allows a client to stay connected to a broker after authentication data expires if the client connected. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Incorrect Authorization vulnerability in Apache Software Foundation Apache Pulsar.10.4, and 2.11.0. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Incorrect Authorization vulnerability in Apache Software Foundation Apache Pulsar Broker's Rest Producer allows authenticated user with a custom HTTP header to produce a message to any topic using. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In bluetooth service, there is a missing permission check. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In bluetooth service, there is a missing permission check. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In telephony service, there is a missing permission check. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In telephony service, there is a missing permission check. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In telephony service, there is a missing permission check. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In fastDial service, there is a missing permission check. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In fastDial service, there is a missing permission check. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In fastDial service, there is a missing permission check. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In fastDial service, there is a missing permission check. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In telephony service, there is a missing permission check. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In telephony service, there is a missing permission check. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In telephony service, there is a missing permission check. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In telephony service, there is a missing permission check. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Quick Facts
- Typical Severity
- CRITICAL
- Category
- auth
- Total CVEs
- 37807