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 (33048)
Insufficient policy enforcement in Safe Browsing in Google Chrome prior to 80.0.3987.87 allowed a remote attacker to bypass navigation restrictions via a crafted HTML page. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Inappropriate implementation in Blink in Google Chrome prior to 80.0.3987.87 allowed a remote attacker to bypass HTML validators via a crafted HTML page. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Inappropriate implementation in Omnibox in Google Chrome prior to 80.0.3987.87 allowed a remote attacker who convinced the user to enter a URI to bypass navigation restrictions via a crafted domain. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Insufficient policy enforcement in Blink in Google Chrome prior to 80.0.3987.87 allowed a remote attacker to bypass content security policy via a crafted HTML page. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Insufficient policy enforcement in Blink in Google Chrome prior to 80.0.3987.87 allowed a remote attacker to leak cross-origin data via a crafted HTML page. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), 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.
Insufficient policy enforcement in storage in Google Chrome prior to 80.0.3987.87 allowed a remote attacker to bypass site isolation via a crafted HTML page. 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.
Insufficient policy enforcement in extensions in Google Chrome prior to 79.0.3945.130 allowed a remote attacker who had compromised the renderer process to bypass site isolation via a crafted Chrome. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
ajax/profile-picture-upload.php in Bludit 3.10.0 allows authenticated users to change other users' profile pictures. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Missing Authentication for Critical Function in the Bosch Video Streaming Gateway (VSG) allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to retrieve and set arbitrary configuration data of the Video. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
An issue was discovered in EyesOfNetwork 5.3. 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 was discovered in EyesOfNetwork 5.3. 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.
Dell EMC Isilon OneFS versions 8.1.2, 8.1.0.4, 8.1.0.3, and 8.0.0.7 contain a vulnerability in some configurations. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The InfiniteWP Client plugin before 1.9.4.5 for WordPress has a missing authorization check in iwp_mmb_set_request in init.php. 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 Time Capsule plugin before 1.21.16 for WordPress has an authentication bypass. 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 was discovered in OpServices OpMon 9.3.2 that allows Remote Code Execution . Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in OpServices OpMon 9.3.2. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in OpServices OpMon 9.3.2. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
When the Windows Logon Integration feature is configured for all versions of BIG-IP Edge Client for Windows, unauthorized users who have physical access to an authorized user's machine can get shell. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in GitLab EE 11.3 and later. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
GitLab EE 8.0 through 12.7.2 has Incorrect Access Control. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Insufficient validation and sanitization of user input exists in url-parse npm package version 1.4.4 and earlier may allow attacker to bypass security checks. 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 missing check in Nextcloud Server 14.0.3 could give recipient the possibility to extend the expiration date of a share they received. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
A bug in Nextcloud Server 14.0.4 could expose more data in reshared link shares than intended by the sharer. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Improper authorization in Nextcloud server 17.0.0 causes leaking of previews and files when a file-drop share link is opened via the gallery app. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
eG Manager 7.1.2 allows authentication bypass via a com.egurkha.EgLoginServlet?uname=admin&upass=&accessKey=eGm0n1t0r request. 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.
phpList 3.5.0 allows type juggling for admin login bypass because == is used instead of === for password hashes, which mishandles hashes that begin with 0e followed by exclusively numerical. 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 was discovered in phpABook 0.9 Intermediate. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Prototype 1.6.0.1 allows remote authenticated users to forge ticket creation (on behalf of other user accounts) via a modified email ID field. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Biscom Secure File Transfer (SFT) 5.0.1050 through 5.1.1067 and 6.0.1000 through 6.0.1003 allows Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR) by an authenticated sender because of an error in a. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
HashiCorp Consul and Consul Enterprise 1.4.1 through 1.6.2 did not uniformly enforce ACLs across all API endpoints, resulting in potential unintended information disclosure. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A user who owns an ENS domain can set a trapdoor, allowing them to transfer ownership to another user, and later regain ownership without the new owners consent or awareness. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
In Kronos Web Time and Attendance (webTA) 3.8.x and later 3.x versions before 4.0, the com.threeis.webta.H491delegate servlet allows an attacker with Timekeeper or Supervisor privileges to gain. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
In Kronos Web Time and Attendance (webTA) 3.8.x and later 3.x versions before 4.0, the com.threeis.webta.H402editUser servlet allows an attacker with Timekeeper, Master Timekeeper, or HR Admin. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
In Opencast before 7.6 and 8.1, users with the role ROLE_COURSE_ADMIN can use the user-utils endpoint to create new users not including the role ROLE_ADMIN. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
In Opencast before 7.6 and 8.1, using a remember-me cookie with an arbitrary username can cause Opencast to assume proper authentication for that user even if the remember-me cookie was incorrect. Rated critical severity (CVSS 10.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Opencast before 7.6 and 8.1 enables a remember-me cookie based on a hash created from the username, password, and an additional system key. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. This Use of Hard-coded Credentials vulnerability could allow attackers to gain access using credentials embedded in source code.
Opencast before 8.1 and 7.6 allows unauthorized public access to all media and metadata by default via OAI-PMH. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), 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.
Jenkins 2.218 and earlier, LTS 2.204.1 and earlier allowed users with Overall/Read access to view a JVM memory usage chart. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Jenkins 2.213 and earlier, LTS 2.204.1 and earlier improperly reuses encryption key parameters in the Inbound TCP Agent Protocol/3, allowing unauthorized attackers with knowledge of agent names to. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The mod_auth_ldap and mod_auth_ldap2 Community Modules through 2020-01-27 for Prosody incompletely verify the XMPP address passed to the is_admin() function. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
panel_login.php in UseBB 1.0.12 allows type juggling for login bypass because != is used instead of !== for password hashes, which mishandles hashes that begin with 0e followed by exclusively. 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 Intellian Aptus application 1.0.2 for Android has a hardcoded password of intellian for the masteruser FTP account. 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.
Intellian Aptus Web 1.24 has a hardcoded password of 12345678 for the intellian account. 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 Intellian Aptus application 1.0.2 for Android has hardcoded values for DOWNLOAD_API_KEY and FILE_DOWNLOAD_API_KEY. 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 vulnerability in Cisco Webex Meetings Suite sites and Cisco Webex Meetings Online sites could allow an unauthenticated, remote attendee to join a password-protected meeting without providing the. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability in the out of band (OOB) management interface IP table rule programming for Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in Mirumee Saleor 2.x before 2.9.1. 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.
In Django User Sessions (django-user-sessions) before 1.7.1, the views provided allow users to terminate specific sessions. 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.
In ApexPro Telemetry Server Versions 4.2 and prior, CARESCAPE Telemetry Server v4.2 & prior, Clinical Information Center (CIC) Versions 4.X and 5.X, CARESCAPE Central Station (CSCS) Versions 1.X and. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In ApexPro Telemetry Server Versions 4.2 and prior, CARESCAPE Telemetry Server v4.2 & prior, Clinical Information Center (CIC) Versions 4.X and 5.X, CARESCAPE Central Station (CSCS) Versions 1.X, the. Rated critical severity (CVSS 10.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Honor V30 smartphones with versions earlier than 10.0.1.135(C00E130R4P1) have an improper authentication vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
HUAWEI Mate 20 smart phones with versions earlier than 10.0.0.175(C00E70R3P8) have an insufficient authentication vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.0), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in Amcrest Web Server 2.520.AC00.18.R 2017-06-29 WEB 3.2.1.453504. 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 WordPress plugin, WP Database Reset through 3.1, contains a flaw that allowed any unauthenticated user to reset any table in the database to the initial WordPress set-up state (deleting all site. 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.
Vulnerability in the Identity Manager product of Oracle Fusion Middleware (component: Advanced Console). Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Identity Manager product of Oracle Fusion Middleware (component: OIM - LDAP user and role Synch). Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
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 Oracle FLEXCUBE Investor Servicing product of Oracle Financial Services Applications (component: Infrastructure). Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle FLEXCUBE Investor Servicing product of Oracle Financial Services Applications (component: Infrastructure). Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle FLEXCUBE Investor Servicing product of Oracle Financial Services Applications (component: Infrastructure). Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle FLEXCUBE Investor Servicing product of Oracle Financial Services Applications (component: Infrastructure). Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle FLEXCUBE Investor Servicing product of Oracle Financial Services Applications (component: Infrastructure). Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle Banking Corporate Lending product of Oracle Financial Services Applications (component: Core). Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle Banking Corporate Lending product of Oracle Financial Services Applications (component: Core). Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle Banking Corporate Lending product of Oracle Financial Services Applications (component: Core). Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle Banking Corporate Lending product of Oracle Financial Services Applications (component: Core). Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle Banking Corporate Lending product of Oracle Financial Services Applications (component: Core). Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle Banking Payments product of Oracle Financial Services Applications (component: Core). Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle Banking Payments product of Oracle Financial Services Applications (component: Core). Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle Banking Payments product of Oracle Financial Services Applications (component: Core). Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle Banking Payments product of Oracle Financial Services Applications (component: Core). Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle Banking Payments product of Oracle Financial Services Applications (component: Core). Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle iLearning product of Oracle iLearning (component: Learner Pages). Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management product of Oracle Construction and Engineering (component: WebAccess). Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox product of Oracle Virtualization (component: Core). Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox product of Oracle Virtualization (component: Core). Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle FLEXCUBE Universal Banking product of Oracle Financial Services Applications (component: Infrastructure). Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle FLEXCUBE Universal Banking product of Oracle Financial Services Applications (component: Infrastructure). Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle Hospitality Suites Management component of Oracle Food and Beverage Applications. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.9), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the PeopleSoft Enterprise CC Common Application Objects product of Oracle PeopleSoft (component: Approval Framework). Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Vulnerability in the MySQL Server product of Oracle MySQL (component: Server: Information Schema). Rated low severity (CVSS 3.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable.
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 6.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox product of Oracle Virtualization (component: Core). Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox product of Oracle Virtualization (component: Core). Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle VM VirtualBox product of Oracle Virtualization (component: Core). Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle Financial Services Analytical Applications Infrastructure product of Oracle Financial Services Applications (component: Object Migration). Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools product of Oracle PeopleSoft (component: Elastic Search). Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle FLEXCUBE Universal Banking product of Oracle Financial Services Applications (component: Infrastructure). Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Vulnerability in the Oracle FLEXCUBE Universal Banking product of Oracle Financial Services Applications (component: Infrastructure). Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Quick Facts
- Typical Severity
- CRITICAL
- Category
- auth
- Total CVEs
- 33048