Shibboleth < 2.5.4 - Unauthenticated Administrator Account Creation via Identity Header Spoofing

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Summary

CVECVE-2026-12281
StatePUBLISHED
AssignerWPScan
Source PriorityCVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback
Published2026-07-15 06:16:43 UTC
Updated2026-07-15 11:16:25 UTC
DescriptionThe Shibboleth WordPress plugin before 2.5.4 does not fail closed when its HTTP header identity mode is enabled without an anti-spoofing key, treating any request that carries identity headers as an authenticated session without verifying them. On a deployment where untrusted client headers reach the application, an unauthenticated attacker can log in with forged identity headers and, when automatic account creation and the default administrator role mapping are enabled, create and sign in as a new administrator. Exploitation requires the non-default HTTP header attribute mode, an empty or absent spoof key, automatic account creation enabled, and a deployment that does not strip untrusted client headers before they reach the application.

Risk And Classification

Primary CVSS: v3.1 8.1 HIGH from ADP

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Problem Types: CWE-287 | CWE-287 Improper Authentication | CWE-287 CWE-287 Improper Authentication

VersionSourceTypeScoreSeverityVector
3.1ADPDECLARED8.1HIGHCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
3.1134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0Secondary8.1HIGHCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS v3.1 Breakdown

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Vendor Declared Affected Products

SourceVendorProductVersionPlatforms
CNA Unknown Shibboleth affected 2.5.4 semver Not specified

References

ReferenceSourceLinkTags
wpscan.com/vulnerability/8474eda4-6385-447a-9139-f57c049d1713 [email protected] wpscan.com
CVE Program record CVE.ORG www.cve.org canonical
NVD vulnerability detail NVD nvd.nist.gov canonical, analysis

Vendor Comments And Credit

Discovery Credit

CNA: Khaled Alenazi (Nxploited) (en)

CNA: WPScan (en)

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