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CVE-2026-97637 — The JSON API Auth plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Authentication Bypass via Cached…

Key facts

CVE-2026-97637 is a Critical (9.8) vulnerability: The JSON API Auth plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Authentication Bypass via Cached…. This entry ships a detection-only PoC and a Docker test lab.
CVE CVE-2026-97637
Severity Critical (9.8)
Detection / prevention —
PoC poc.py
Source 2026/CVE-2026-97637/

Details

English | 한국어

Description

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.

Vulnerability Details

Property Value
CVE ID CVE-2026-97637
Type RCE
CVSS Score 9.8

Proof of Concept

Download

# Download PoC script
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/fankh/vulnerability-poc/main/2026/CVE-2026-97637/poc.py

Usage

# Run PoC against target
python3 poc.py --target <TARGET_URL>

# With authentication
python3 poc.py --target <TARGET_URL> --username <USER> --password <PASS>

⚠️ Warning: This PoC is for authorized security testing only. It uses detection-only techniques and does not exploit or damage target systems.

Test Lab

This repository includes a Docker-based test environment with both vulnerable and patched applications.

Quick Start

# Clone and navigate to CVE directory
cd CVE-2026-97637

# Start both applications
docker-compose up -d

# Run tests
./run-tests.sh    # Linux/Mac
./run-tests.ps1   # Windows PowerShell

Application Endpoints

Application URL Status
Vulnerable App http://localhost:8080 Shows vulnerability
Patched App http://localhost:8081 Demonstrates fix

Directory Structure

├── README.md           # English documentation
├── README_KO.md        # Korean documentation
├── poc.py              # PoC detection script
├── docker-compose.yml  # Container orchestration
├── run-tests.sh        # Linux/Mac test runner
├── run-tests.ps1       # Windows test runner
├── vulnerable-app/     # Vulnerable version
│   ├── app.py
│   ├── Dockerfile
│   └── requirements.txt
└── patched-app/        # Fixed version
    ├── app.py
    ├── Dockerfile
    └── requirements.txt

References

  • https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/json-api-auth/tags/3.1.2/controllers/Auth.php#L104
  • https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/json-api-auth/tags/3.1.2/controllers/Auth.php#L28
  • https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/json-api-auth/tags/3.1.2/controllers/Auth.php#L66
  • https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/json-api-auth/tags/3.1.2/controllers/Auth.php#L77
  • https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/json-api-auth/tags/3.1.2/json-api-auth.php#L65
  • https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?reponame=&old=3712939%40json-api-auth&new=3712939%40json-api-auth
  • https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/f2fdf8bf-7f53-4579-9a1f-be7b3ef1ca50?source=cve

Generated by PoC Generator on 2026-10-03T15:54:53.414690563

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-97637?

CVE-2026-97637 is a Critical (9.8) vulnerability: The JSON API Auth plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Authentication Bypass via Cached…. This entry ships a detection-only PoC and a Docker test lab.

How do I detect CVE-2026-97637?

Run the detection-only PoC included with this entry against your Docker test lab to confirm whether a target is affected; pair it with your own IDS logging.

How do I block or mitigate CVE-2026-97637?

Upgrade to a fixed version per the vendor advisory; the NVD record lists the affected versions. Use the included PoC to verify your remediation.

For authorized security testing and research only. See the full source and NVD record.