CVE-2026-8994
Published: 27 May 2026
Summary
CVE-2026-8994 is a high-severity Improper Authentication (CWE-287) vulnerability in Wordpress (inferred from references). Its CVSS base score is 8.1 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked at the 30.9th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-32094
Vulnerability details
The Login with NEAR plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Authentication Bypass in all versions up to, and including, 0.3.3. The `ajaxLoginWithNear()` function — registered as a `wp_ajax_nopriv` action and therefore reachable by unauthenticated users — accepts an attacker-supplied `account`…
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POST parameter and issues a valid WordPress authentication cookie based solely on a substring check for `.near`, with no nonce verification, cryptographic signature validation, challenge-response exchange, or any proof that the requester controls the corresponding NEAR wallet. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to log in as any existing WordPress user, including administrators, whose email address matches the deterministic `<account>@near.org` pattern derived from the supplied `account` value. If no matching user exists, the handler automatically creates and authenticates a new WordPress account for the attacker-controlled identifier, providing a further avenue for unauthorized account creation.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Direct unauthenticated auth bypass on public WP plugin enables T1190; auto-login with/creation of accounts maps to T1078/T1136.
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Likely Mitigating Controls AI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
Detects unauthorized successful logons resulting from improper authentication implementations.
Documented procedures ensure personnel are trained on authentication mechanisms, tangibly lowering the risk of improper authentication being exploited.
Security awareness training instructs users on secure authentication practices and avoiding credential compromise.
Training on authentication mechanisms and best practices decreases the occurrence of improper authentication.
Non-repudiation requires strong authentication mechanisms to irrefutably attribute performed actions to specific individuals or processes.
Session content review can reveal authentication bypasses or failures in session establishment.
Review of authentication-related audit records can detect improper authentication mechanisms or bypasses.
Assessments check authentication mechanisms for correct implementation and effectiveness, reducing successful authentication bypass attempts.