Authentication Bypass in JSON API Auth (WordPress plugin) (CVE-2026-97637)
Summary
Authentication bypass in JSON API Auth (WordPress plugin) (CVE-2026-97637). Successful exploitation can lead to full system takeover. Exploitable via logged_in.
Original description
The description as published by the source.
The JSON API Auth plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Authentication Bypass via Cached Session Cookie Disclosure in all versions up to, and including, 3.1.2. The vulnerability exists because the required PI-Media/json-api parent plugin caches controller dispatch results in transients keyed solely by URI and query string, ignoring HTTP method and POST body; this causes the generate_auth_cookie() endpoint — which embeds a live WordPress logged_in cookie produced by wp_generate_auth_cookie() directly in its JSON response body — to serve that cached authenticated response to any subsequent unauthenticated GET request to the same URI. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to retrieve a valid Administrator logged_in session cookie from the cached response and use it to fully authenticate as the site Administrator, including via the same plugin's get_currentuserinfo endpoint and any cookie-authenticated controller action. Exploitation requires the PI-Media/json-api parent plugin to be installed and active with the Auth controller enabled, and a legitimate Administrator must have POSTed to /api/auth/generate_auth_cookie/ within the preceding 24-hour cache TTL; the nominal HTTPS enforcement gate present in Auth.php is trivially bypassed by supplying insecure=cool as a request parameter.
Source: NIST National Vulnerability Database NVD GitHub Advisory
Auto-generated summary
Assembled by SecPulse from the source data (CVSS, CWE, affected versions) using templates — no AI involved. Check the original description and references below for exact details.
A vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-97637 has been found in JSON API Auth (WordPress plugin).
Attackers can target a specific entry point like logged_in over the network to misuse the product.
Successful exploitation can lead to full system takeover. CVSS score: 9.8/10.
What to do: apply the vendor's official patched release.
If unsure, ask your IT team or search "JSON API Auth (WordPress plugin) CVE-2026-97637" on the vendor's site.
CVE-2026-97637 (JSON API Auth (WordPress plugin)) — CWE-287 / CVSS v3 9.8
Attack vector: remote (network-reachable) / unauthenticated / no user interaction
Attack surface: logged_in / get_currentuserinfo / Auth.php
Plan: 1) Audit SBOM/dependencies, 2) Stage→prod upgrade, 3) Add WAF/proxy monitoring on affected endpoints, 4) Hunt IOCs in logs.
Refs: see the GHSA / vendor advisory / patched release linked on this page.
Authentication bypass (CWE-287) exists in JSON API Auth (WordPress plugin). Attackers reach the vulnerable code path via logged_in without authentication.
Check the vendor advisory for the affected versions of JSON API Auth (WordPress plugin). Attack surface: logged_in / get_currentuserinfo / Auth.php.
Severity: Critical (CVSS 9.8/10). Successful exploitation can lead to full system takeover.
Update to the patched release per vendor advisory.
Until the patch is applied: disable the affected feature, apply WAF rules, or restrict access via network ACLs.
Search webserver/proxy logs for unusual request patterns matching this CVE's known IOCs. Audit SBOM/dependencies to find affected services.
Response actions
Concrete steps and command examples for SOC/SRE teams to execute in order
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1Identify exposure identify
Audit SBOM/dependencies for affected components.資産台帳・SBOM・依存マニフェストで JSON API Auth (WordPress plugin) を使っているサービスとバージョンを洗い出す。
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2Post-deployment verification verify
Confirm patched version is live in productionパッチ適用後、ステージングで PoC または同等の悪用パターンを再現して脆弱性が閉じたことを確認。本番ではアクセスログ・WAF でアラート再発が無いか継続監視。