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 (7892)
The Piotnet Addons For Elementor plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 2.4.32 via the 'pafe-template' shortcode due to insufficient. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authentication for Critical Function vulnerability in NEC Corporation Aterm WG2600HS Ver.1.7.2 and earlier, WF1200CRS Ver.1.6.0 and earlier, WG1200CRS Ver.1.5.0 and earlier, GB1200PE. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In Yubico pam-u2f before 1.3.1, local privilege escalation can sometimes occur. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
JeeWMS before v2025.01.01 was discovered to contain a permission bypass in the component /interceptors/AuthInterceptor.cava. 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.
Gradio is an open-source Python package that allows quick building of demos and web application for machine learning models, API, or any arbitrary Python function. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
XWiki Platform is a generic wiki platform offering runtime services for applications built on top of it. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Visual Studio Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
On-Premises Data Gateway Information Disclosure Vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. This Incorrect Authorization vulnerability could allow attackers to bypass authorization checks to access restricted resources.
Microsoft SharePoint Server Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Microsoft Office Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Windows Virtualization-Based Security (VBS) Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
MapUrlToZone Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
MapUrlToZone Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
MapUrlToZone Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Windows Geolocation Service Information Disclosure Vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Windows Kerberos Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
Active Directory Domain Services contains an elevation of privilege vulnerability that allows authenticated domain users to escalate to domain administrator. The vulnerability enables lateral movement and complete domain compromise from any authenticated position within the Active Directory environment.
Windows App Package Installer Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
Windows HTML Platforms Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
MapUrlToZone Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
MapUrlToZone Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Secure Boot Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.6), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Secure Boot Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Windows Recovery Environment Agent Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity.
MapUrlToZone Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
A vulnerability was found in Shanghai Lingdang Information Technology Lingdang CRM up to 8.6.0.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A race condition in Ivanti Application Control Engine before version 10.14.4.0 allows a local authenticated attacker to bypass the application blocking functionality. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability, which was classified as critical, was found in Blog Botz for Journal Theme 1.0 on OpenCart. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Multiple external config control vulnerabilities exist in the nas.cgi set_nas() proftpd functionality of Wavlink AC3000 M33A8.V5030.210505. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Multiple external config control vulnerabilities exist in the nas.cgi set_nas() proftpd functionality of Wavlink AC3000 M33A8.V5030.210505. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Multiple external config control vulnerabilities exist in the nas.cgi set_nas() proftpd functionality of Wavlink AC3000 M33A8.V5030.210505. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Multiple external config control vulnerabilities exist in the nas.cgi set_ftp_cfg() functionality of Wavlink AC3000 M33A8.V5030.210505. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Multiple external config control vulnerabilities exist in the nas.cgi set_ftp_cfg() functionality of Wavlink AC3000 M33A8.V5030.210505. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Multiple external config control vulnerabilities exist in the nas.cgi set_ftp_cfg() functionality of Wavlink AC3000 M33A8.V5030.210505. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
An information disclosure vulnerability exists in the testsave.sh functionality of Wavlink AC3000 M33A8.V5030.210505. 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 firmware update vulnerability exists in the login.cgi functionality of Wavlink AC3000 M33A8.V5030.210505. Rated critical severity (CVSS 10.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
A firmware update vulnerability exists in the fw_check.sh functionality of Wavlink AC3000 M33A8.V5030.210505. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
FortiOS and FortiProxy contain an authentication bypass via the Node.js websocket module allowing unauthenticated remote attackers to gain super-admin privileges through crafted requests.
An Improper Neutralization of CRLF Sequences in HTTP Headers ('http response splitting') vulnerability [CWE-113] in Fortinet FortiOS 7.2.0 through 7.6.0, FortiProxy 7.2.0 through 7.4.5 may allow a. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A weak authentication in Fortinet FortiOS versions 7.4.0 through 7.4.4, 7.2.0 through 7.2.8, 7.0.0 through 7.0.15, 6.4.0 through 6.4.15, FortiProxy versions 7.4.0 through 7.4.4, 7.2.0 through 7.2.10,. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
An improper neutralization of formula elements in a csv file in Fortinet FortiSOAR 7.2.1 through 7.4.1 allows attacker to execute unauthorized code or commands via manipulating csv file. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An Improper Access Control vulnerability [CWE-284] vulnerability in Fortinet FortiDeceptor 6.0.0, FortiDeceptor 5.3 all versions, FortiDeceptor 5.2 all versions, FortiDeceptor 5.1 all versions,. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An improper verification of source of a communication channel vulnerability [CWE-940] in FortiClientEMS 7.4.0, 7.2.0 through 7.2.4, 7.0 all versions, 6.4 all versions may allow a remote attacker to. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
A missing authentication for critical function in Fortinet FortiPortal version 6.0.0 through 6.0.15, FortiManager version 7.4.0 through 7.4.2, 7.2.0 through 7.2.5, 7.0.0 through 7.0.12, 6.4.0 through. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability has been identified in Mendix LDAP (All versions < V1.1.2). Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Paid Membership Subscriptions - Effortless Memberships, Recurring Payments & Content Restriction plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Authentication Bypass in all versions up to, and including,. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), 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 W3 Total Cache plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized access of data due to a missing capability check on the is_w3tc_admin_page function in all versions up to, and including, 2.8.1. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Epss exploitation probability 17.0%.
The W3 Total Cache plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on several functions in all versions up to, and including, 2.8.1. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), 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.
SAP NetWeaver Application Server for ABAP and ABAP Platform allows an authenticated attacker to obtain illegitimate access to the system by exploiting improper authentication checks, resulting in. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An obsolete functionality in SAP NetWeaver Application Server ABAP did not perform necessary authorization checks. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Due to a missing authorization check on service endpoints in the SAP NetWeaver Application Server Java, an attacker with standard user role can create JCo connection entries, which are used for. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In SAP Business Workflow and SAP Flexible Workflow, an authenticated attacker can manipulate a parameter in an otherwise legitimate resource request to view sensitive information that should. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
SAP NetWeaver Application Server for ABAP and ABAP Platform allows an attacker to gain unauthorized access to system information. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Path Traversal Vulnerabilities (CWE-22) exist in NJ/NX-series Machine Automation Controllers. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
In Eaton X303 3.5.16 - X303 3.5.17 Build 712, an attacker with network access to a XC-303 PLC can login as root over SSH. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
OpenFGA is an authorization/permission engine. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Post SMTP Post SMTP allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.9.11. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability classified as critical was found in 1902756969 reggie 1.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability was found in StarSea99 starsea-mall 1.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Unlimited Theme Addon For Elementor and WooCommerce plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 1.2.1 via the 'uta-template' shortcode due to. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The RRAddons for Elementor plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 1.1.0 via the Popup block due to insufficient restrictions on which posts. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
HCL MyXalytics is affected by broken authentication. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
HCL MyXalytics is affected by insecure direct object references. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Post Duplicator plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 2.36 via the mtphr_duplicate_post() due to insufficient restrictions on which. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
The Coupon X: Discount Pop Up, Promo Code Pop Ups, Announcement Pop Up, WooCommerce Popups plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized access due to missing capability checks on several. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A user with administrator privileges is able to retrieve authentication tokens. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.6), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
On affected platforms running Arista EOS with one of the following features configured to redirect IP traffic to a next hop: policy-based routing (PBR), BGP Flowspec, or interface traffic policy --. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
NETGEAR DGN1000 routers with firmware before 1.1.00.48 contain an unauthenticated remote command execution vulnerability via the setup.cgi endpoint. The vulnerability has been exploited in the wild since at least 2017, notably by the Mirai-derived Reaper/IoTroop botnet for large-scale DDoS operations.
DataEase is an open source data visualization analysis tool. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
IBM Engineering Requirements Management DOORS Next 7.0.2 and 7.0.3 could allow a remote attacker to bypass security restrictions, caused by a race condition. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Essential WP Real Estate plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized access due to a missing capability check on the cl_delete_listing_func() function in all versions up to, and including,. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The AI Scribe - SEO AI Writer, Content Generator, Humanizer, Blog Writer, SEO Optimizer, DALLE-3, AI WordPress Plugin ChatGPT (GPT-4o 128K) plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper access control in Azure SaaS Resources allows an authorized attacker to disclose information over a network. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Drupal Open Social allows Forceful Browsing.8.0 before 12.3.10, from 12.4.0 before 12.4.9. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Authentication vulnerability in Drupal Login Disable allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.0.0 before 2.1.1. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Authorization vulnerability in Drupal Download All Files allows Forceful Browsing.0.0 before 2.0.2. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Incorrect Authorization vulnerability in Drupal Pages Restriction Access allows Forceful Browsing.0.0 before 2.0.3. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Incorrect Authorization vulnerability in Drupal Basic HTTP Authentication allows Forceful Browsing.X-1.0 before 7.X-1.4. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Incorrect Authorization vulnerability in Drupal OhDear Integration allows Forceful Browsing.0.0 before 2.0.4. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Canlineapp Online 1.1 is vulnerable to Broken Access Control and allows users with the Auditor role to create an audit template as a result of improper authorization checks. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Incorrect Authorization vulnerability in Drupal Block permissions allows Forceful Browsing.0.0 before 1.2.0. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Incorrect Authorization vulnerability in Drupal Monster Menus allows Forceful Browsing.0.0 before 9.3.2. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Incorrect Authorization vulnerability in Drupal Diff allows Functionality Misuse.0.0 before 1.8.0. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Incorrect Authorization vulnerability in Drupal Smart IP Ban allows Forceful Browsing.X-1.0 before 7.X-1.1. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Incorrect Authorization vulnerability in Drupal Content Entity Clone allows Forceful Browsing.0.0 before 1.0.4. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Incorrect Authorization vulnerability in Drupal Freelinking allows Forceful Browsing.0.0 before 4.0.1. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Incorrect Authorization vulnerability in Drupal Responsive and off-canvas menu allows Forceful Browsing.0.0 before 4.4.4. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The WPBookit plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Arbitrary User Password Change in versions up to, and including, 1.6.4. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Incorrect Authorization vulnerability in Drupal Drupal REST & JSON API Authentication allows Forceful Browsing.0.0 before 2.0.13. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Incorrect Authorization vulnerability in Drupal Commerce View Receipt allows Forceful Browsing.0.0 before 1.0.3. 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
- 7892