CVE-2026-97637
Received Received - Intake

Authentication Bypass via Cached Session Cookie in JSON API Auth WordPress Plugin

Publication date: 2026-10-02

Last updated on: 2026-10-02

Assigner: Wordfence

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.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-10-02
Last Modified
2026-10-02
Generated
2026-10-02
AI Q&A
2026-10-02
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-97637
EUVD
EUVD-2026-91259

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
pi-media json-api to 3.1.2 (inc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-287 When an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct.

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability is an authentication bypass in the JSON API Auth plugin for WordPress. It occurs because the plugin caches authenticated responses using only the URI and query string, ignoring HTTP method and POST body. This allows unauthenticated attackers to retrieve a valid Administrator session cookie from a cached response and use it to gain full administrative access to the site.

Detection Guidance

Check if the PI-Media/json-api plugin is installed and active. Look for cached responses containing WordPress logged_in cookies in transient storage. Monitor GET requests to /api/auth/generate_auth_cookie/ that return cached authenticated responses without prior authentication.

Impact Analysis

If exploited, an attacker could gain full administrative access to your WordPress site. This includes the ability to create new users, modify existing content, install malicious plugins, or steal sensitive data. The attack requires the parent plugin to be active and a legitimate Administrator to have recently generated an auth cookie.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access and data breaches, violating GDPR and HIPAA requirements for data protection and access controls. Organizations using this plugin may face compliance violations, legal penalties, and reputational damage if exploited.

Mitigation Strategies

Immediately update the JSON API Auth plugin to the latest version. Disable the plugin if not needed. Clear all transients storing cached responses. Review server logs for suspicious GET requests to /api/auth/generate_auth_cookie/. Rotate all WordPress authentication cookies.

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