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 (7836)
An access issue was addressed with additional sandbox restrictions on the system pasteboards. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A permissions issue was addressed by removing vulnerable code and adding additional checks. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
This issue was addressed with improved validation of symlinks. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
This issue was addressed with improved access restrictions. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
This issue was addressed with improved access restrictions. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A logic issue was addressed with improved state management. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
This issue was addressed through improved state management. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
This issue was addressed through improved state management. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The issue was addressed with improved checks. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
This issue was addressed with additional entitlement checks. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A permissions issue was addressed with additional sandbox restrictions. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A permissions issue was addressed with additional restrictions. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.0), this vulnerability is no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
This issue was addressed by adding a delay between verification code attempts. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A configuration issue was addressed with additional restrictions. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An access issue was addressed with additional sandbox restrictions. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A permissions issue was addressed with additional restrictions. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A logic issue was addressed with improved checks. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
This issue was addressed with improved data access restriction. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A privacy issue was addressed with improved private data redaction for log entries. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The issue was addressed with improved checks. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A privacy issue was addressed by not logging contents of text fields. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An authorization issue was addressed with improved state management. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A logging issue was addressed with improved data redaction. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
This issue was addressed by restricting options offered on a locked device. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.6), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
This issue was addressed with improved authentication. Rated low severity (CVSS 2.4), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A permissions issue was addressed with additional restrictions. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
This issue was addressed with additional entitlement checks. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
This issue was addressed with improved handling of executable types. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
This issue was addressed with additional entitlement checks. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A permissions issue was addressed with additional sandbox restrictions. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Drupal OAuth2 Server allows Forceful Browsing.0.0 before 2.1.0. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Drupal Open Social allows Forceful Browsing.0.0 before 12.3.11, from 12.4.0 before 12.4.10. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Drupal Open Social allows Forceful Browsing.0.0 before 12.3.11, from 12.4.0 before 12.4.10. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Drupal Authenticator Login allows Forceful Browsing.0.0 before 2.0.6. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Drupal AI (Artificial Intelligence) allows Forceful Browsing.0.0 before 1.0.3. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Incorrect Authorization vulnerability in Drupal Drupal core allows Forceful Browsing.0.0 before 10.3.13, from 10.4.0 before 10.4.3, from 11.0.0 before 11.0.12, from 11.1.0 before 11.1.3. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper authorization in Azure Playwright allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges over a network. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
scratch-coding-hut.github.io is the website for Coding Hut. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
Tuleap is an Open Source Suite to improve management of software developments and collaboration. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. This Incorrect Authorization vulnerability could allow attackers to bypass authorization checks to access restricted resources.
Tuleap is an Open Source Suite to improve management of software developments and collaboration. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. This Incorrect Authorization vulnerability could allow attackers to bypass authorization checks to access restricted resources.
JumpServer is an open source bastion host and an operation and maintenance security audit system. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Incorrect access control in Adtran 411 ONT L80.00.0011.M2 allows unauthorized attackers to arbitrarily set the admin password. 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.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Jaap Jansma Connector to CiviCRM with CiviMcRestFace allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.0.9. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Shaharia Azam Auto Post After Image Upload allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.6. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Arni Cinco WPCargo Track & Trace allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.0.6. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in softpulseinfotech SP Blog Designer allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.0.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in moshensky CF7 Spreadsheets allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.3.2. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Chatwee Chat by Chatwee allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.1.3. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in elfsight Elfsight Testimonials Slider allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.0.1. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Gagan Deep Singh PostmarkApp Email Integrator allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.4. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in ContentMX ContentMX Content Publisher allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.0.6. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in WP Messiah Swiss Toolkit For WP allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.3.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in WP Messiah Safe Ai Malware Protection for WP allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.0.20. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in WP Messiah Swiss Toolkit For WP allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.3.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in acmemediakits ACME Divi Modules allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.3.5. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Blocksera Cryptocurrency Widgets Pack allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.0.1. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Salesmate.io Salesmate Add-On for Gravity Forms allows Accessing Functionality Not Properly Constrained by ACLs.0.3. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in smackcoders Google SEO Pressor Snippet allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Rashid Slider Path for Elementor allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.0.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in wokamoto StaticPress allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.4.5. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Simplepress Simple:Press allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.10.11. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Mayeenul Islam NanoSupport allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.6.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Subscriber Broken Access Control in ELEX WooCommerce Request a Quote <= 2.3.3 versions. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A critical OS Command Injection vulnerability has been identified in the FAST LTA Silent Brick WebUI, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary operating system commands via specially crafted. Rated critical severity (CVSS 10.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A hard-coded, non-random password for the object store (minio) of KNIME Business Hub in all versions except the ones listed below allows an unauthenticated remote attacker in possession of the. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Fahad Mahmood WP Docs allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Ads by WPQuads Ads by WPQuads allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.0.87.1. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability was found in WCMS 11. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Weak password requirements issue exists in CHOCO TEI WATCHER mini (IB-MCT001) all versions. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Insecure Direct Object References (IDOR) in access control in Tracking 2.1.4 on NightWolf Penetration Testing allows an attacker to access via manipulating request parameters or object references. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Insecure Direct Object References (IDOR) in access control in Customer Portal before 2.1.4 on NightWolf Penetration Testing allows an attacker to access via manipulating request parameters or object. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability, which was classified as critical, was found in code-projects College Management System 1.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Unauthenticated RCE in HPE Insight Cluster Management Utility. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability classified as critical was found in Bluestar Micro Mall 1.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
In PHP from 8.1.* before 8.1.32, from 8.2.* before 8.2.28, from 8.3.* before 8.3.19, from 8.4.* before 8.4.5, when requesting a HTTP resource using the DOM or SimpleXML extensions, the wrong. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
The Checkout Mestres do WP for WooCommerce plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data that can lead to privilege escalation due to a missing capability check on the. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An attacker with network access, could capture traffic and obtain user cookies, allowing the attacker to steal the active user session and make changes to the device via web, depending on the. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.9), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in webrangers Clear Sucuri Cache allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.4. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Administrator Z plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data that can lead to privilege escalation due to a missing capability check on the adminz_import_backup(). Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue has been discovered in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions from 16.0 before 17.8.6, 17.9 before 17.9.3, and 17.10 before 17.10.1, allowing internal users to gain unauthorized access to. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Shinetheme Traveler.1.8. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Shinetheme Traveler.1.8. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Automattic Sensei LMS allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.24.4. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in ThimPress LearnPress allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.2.7.5. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A Broken Object Level Authorization vulnerability in the component /households/permissions of hay-kot mealie v2.2.0 allows group managers to edit their own permissions. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
HTCondor 23.0.x before 23.0.22, 23.10.x before 23.10.22, 24.0.x before 24.0.6, and 24.6.x before 24.6.1 allows authenticated attackers to bypass authorization restrictions. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A Broken Object Level Authorization vulnerability in the component /api/users/{user-id} of hay-kot mealie v2.2.0 allows users to edit their own profile in order to give themselves more permissions or. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
A Broken Object Level Authorization vulnerability in the component /api/users/{user-id} of hay-kot mealie v2.2.0 allows users to edit their own profile in order to give themselves more permissions or. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
WeGIA is a Web manager for charitable institutions. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in iNET iNET Webkit allows Accessing Functionality Not Properly Constrained by ACLs.2.2. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Quick Facts
- Typical Severity
- CRITICAL
- Category
- auth
- Total CVEs
- 7836