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 (7827)
Incorrect access control in the component /user/list of production_ssm v0.0.1-SNAPSHOT allows attackers to access sensitive information via a crafted payload. 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.
Incorrect access control in the /admin/** API of brcc v1.2.0 allows attackers to gain access to Admin rights via a crafted 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.
Incorrect access control in the /admin/ API of yaoqishan v0.0.1-SNAPSHOT allows attackers to gain access to Admin rights via a crafted 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.
Incorrect access control in the component /api/user/manager of One v1.0 allows attackers to access sensitive information via a crafted payload. 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.
Incorrect access control in the component /user/list of Shiro-Action v0.6 allows attackers to access sensitive information via a crafted payload. 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.
Incorrect access control in xmall v1.1 allows attackers to bypass authentication via a crafted GET request to /index. 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.
Incorrect access control in the /user/edit/ component of hope-boot v1.0.0 allows attackers to bypass authentication via a crafted GET 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.
Incorrect access control in the component /scheduleLog/info/1 of PassJava-Platform v3.0.0 allows attackers to access sensitive information via a crafted payload. 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.
Incorrect access control in the doFilter function of kob latest v1.0.0-SNAPSHOT allows attackers to access sensitive information via a crafted payload. 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.
Incorrect access control in the /system/user/findUserList API of Xinguan v0.0.1-SNAPSHOT allows attackers to access sensitive information via a crafted payload. 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.
An issue in the component /manage/ of itranswarp v2.19 allows attackers to bypass authentication via a crafted 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.
The BuddyBoss Platform Pro plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authentication bypass in versions up to, and including, 2.7.01. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Inappropriate implementation in DevTools in Google Chrome prior to 136.0.7103.59 allowed a remote attacker who convinced a user to engage in specific UI gestures to bypass discretionary access. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Insufficient data validation in DevTools in Google Chrome prior to 136.0.7103.59 allowed a remote attacker who convinced a user to engage in specific UI gestures to bypass discretionary access. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Incorrect access control in the component /config/download of DBSyncer v2.0.6 allows attackers to access the JSON file containing sensitive account information, including the encrypted password. 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.
BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access (PRA) versions prior to 25.1 are vulnerable to a local authentication bypass. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper access control in PAM feature in Devolutions Server allows a PAM user to self approve their PAM requests even if disallowed by the configured policy via specific user interface actions.1.3.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability has been found in TOTOLINK A720R 4.1.5cu.374 and classified as critical. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
A vulnerability has been found in newbee-mall 1.0 and classified as critical. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
A vulnerability, which was classified as critical, was found in zhangyanbo2007 youkefu up to 4.2.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
IBM Business Automation Workflow 24.0.0 and 24.0.1 through 24.0.1 IF001 Center may leak sensitive information due to missing authorization validation. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Job Listings plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation due to improper authorization within the register_action() function in versions 0.1 to 0.1.1. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Vault Community, Vault Enterprise (“Vault”) Azure Auth method did not correctly validate the claims in the Azure-issued token, resulting in the potential bypass of the bound_locations parameter on. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability classified as critical was found in Casdoor up to 1.811.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Digigram's PYKO-OUT audio-over-IP (AoIP) web-server does not require a password by default, allowing any attacker with the target IP address to connect and compromise the device, potentially pivoting. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Agentflow from Flowring Technology has an Account Lockout Bypass vulnerability, allowing unauthenticated remote attackers to exploit this vulnerability to perform password brute force attack. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Homey theme for WordPress is vulnerable to Insecure Direct Object Reference in all versions up to, and including, 2.4.4 via the 'homey_delete_user_account' action due to missing validation on a. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Homey theme for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the homey_reservation_del() function in all versions up to, and including, 2.4.4. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Multiple plugins and/or themes for WordPress are vulnerable to unauthorized access due to a missing capability check on several AJAX actions like 'gsf_reset_section_options',. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Multiple plugins and/or themes for WordPress using Smart Framework are vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting due to a missing capability check on the saveOptions() and importThemeOptions(). Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Flynax Bridge plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to limited Privilege Escalation due to a missing capability check on the registerUser() function in all versions up to, and including, 2.2.0. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Flynax Bridge plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized loss of data due to a missing capability check on the deleteUser() function in all versions up to, and including, 2.2.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The OTP-less one tap Sign in plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to privilege escalation via account takeover in versions 2.0.14 to 2.0.59. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
User interface (ui) misrepresentation of critical information in Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based) allows an unauthorized attacker to perform spoofing over a network. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Sematell ReplyOne 7.4.3.0 has Insecure Permissions for the /rest/sessions endpoint. 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 issue was discovered on Tenda RX2 Pro 16.03.30.14 devices. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Improper access controls in the web management portal of the Tenda RX2 Pro 16.03.30.14 allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to enable telnet access to the router's OS by sending a /goform/telnet. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Improper access controls in the web management portal of the Tenda RX2 Pro 16.03.30.14 allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to enable 'ate' (a remote system management binary) by sending a. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Lack of access controls in the 'ate' management binary of the Tenda RX2 Pro 16.03.30.14 allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to perform unauthorized configuration changes for any router where. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Lack of input validation/sanitization in the 'ate' management service in the Tenda RX2 Pro 16.03.30.14 allows an unauthorized remote attacker to gain root shell access to the device by sending a. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
KUNBUS PiCtory versions 2.5.0 through 2.11.1 have an authentication bypass vulnerability where a remote attacker can bypass authentication to get access due to a path traversal. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
DataEase is an open-source BI tool alternative to Tableau. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Auth0 Account Link Extension is an extension aimed to help link accounts easily. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered on goTenna v1 devices with app 5.5.3 and firmware 0.25.5. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.3), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered on goTenna Mesh devices with app 5.5.3 and firmware 1.1.12. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.3), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
NVIDIA GPU Display Driver for Linux contains a vulnerability which could allow an unprivileged attacker to escalate permissions. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The WordPress Simple Shopping Cart plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Insecure Direct Object Reference in all versions up to, and including, 5.1.3 via the 'process_payment_data' due to missing. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
The WordPress Simple Shopping Cart plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Insecure Direct Object Reference in all versions up to, and including, 5.1.3 due to lack of randomization of a user controlled. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
The Projectopia - WordPress Project Management plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data that can lead to a denial of service due to a missing capability check on the. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), 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 NewsBlogger theme for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file uploads due to a missing capability check on the newsblogger_install_and_activate_plugin() function in all versions up to, and. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Page View Count plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data that can lead to a denial of service due to a missing capability check on the yellow_message_dontshow(). Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), 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.
PKCE was implemented in the OAuth implementation in workers-oauth-provider that is part of MCP framework https://github.com/cloudflare/workers-mcp . 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.
Improper access control of endpoint in HCL Domino Leap allows certain admin users to import applications from the server's filesystem. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
Tesla Model S Iris Modem Race Condition Firewall Bypass Vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.0), this vulnerability is no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
XWiki is a generic wiki platform. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.4), 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.
XWiki is a generic wiki platform. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
OpenFGA is a high-performance and flexible authorization/permission engine built for developers and inspired by Google Zanzibar. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
OpenCTI is an open-source cyber threat intelligence platform. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Unverified Password Change for ANC software that allows an authenticated attacker to bypass the old Password check in the password change form via a web HMI1.4 and earlier. Rated low severity (CVSS 2.1). No vendor patch available.
A security issue has been discovered in Couchbase Server before 7.6.4 and fixed in v.7.6.4 and v.7.2.7 for Windows that could allow unauthorized access to sensitive files. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in David Gwyer Simple Sitemap - Create a Responsive HTML Sitemap.5.14. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper authorization in Azure Bot Framework SDK allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges over a network. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper authorization in Azure allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges over a network. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper authorization in Azure Bot Framework SDK allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges over a network. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
An app could impersonate system notifications. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing authorization in Azure Virtual Desktop allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges over a network. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
Kyverno is a policy engine designed for cloud native platform engineering teams. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. Public exploit code available.
XWiki is a generic wiki platform. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
XWiki is a generic wiki platform. Rated low severity (CVSS 2.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
XWiki is a generic wiki platform. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Discourse is an open-source discussion platform. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Joplin is a free, open source note taking and to-do application, which can handle a large number of notes organised into notebooks. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and EPSS exploitation probability 13.4%.
The WP Statistics - The Most Popular Privacy-Friendly Analytics Plugin plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the 'optionUpdater'. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Finit is a fast init for Linux systems. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.6), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
YesWiki is a wiki system written in PHP. Rated critical severity (CVSS 10.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
A flaw was found in Keycloak. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Registry Access Management (RAM) is a security feature allowing administrators to restrict access for their developers to only allowed registries. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Recording of environment variables, configured for running containers, in Docker Desktop application logs could lead to unintentional disclosure of sensitive information such as api keys, passwords,. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.2), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper sanitization of the value of the 'href' and 'xlink:href' attributes in '<image>' SVG elements in AngularJS allows attackers to bypass common image source restrictions. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
Bookgy does not provide for proper authorisation control in multiple areas of the application. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
CWE-798: Use of Hard-coded Credentials. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A flaw was found in libsoup. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The SecuPress Free - WordPress Security plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the 'secupress_reinstall_plugins_admin_ajax_cb'. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. This Missing Authorization vulnerability could allow attackers to access resources or perform actions without proper authorization checks.
An access issue was addressed with improved access restrictions. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An authentication issue was addressed with improved state management. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.7), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Enterprise Protection contains an improper input validation vulnerability in attachment defense that allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to bypass attachment scanning security policy by sending. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Neutralization of Escape, Meta, or Control Sequences vulnerability in Apache Tomcat. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability, which was classified as critical, was found in 20120630 Novel-Plus up to 0e156c04b4b7ce0563bef6c97af4476fcda8f160. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability, which was classified as critical, has been found in 20120630 Novel-Plus up to 0e156c04b4b7ce0563bef6c97af4476fcda8f160.java. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
A vulnerability was found in 20120630 Novel-Plus up to 0e156c04b4b7ce0563bef6c97af4476fcda8f160. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Quick Facts
- Typical Severity
- CRITICAL
- Category
- auth
- Total CVEs
- 7827