CVE-2026-80099: Auth Bypass (CVSS 8.8)

Description

Several Newfold plugins are vulnerable to Authentication Bypass. The vulnerability exists because the plugins bundle the wp-module-data module. In the module, the `authenticate()` method — registered on the `rest_authentication_errors` filter and therefore evaluated for every unauthenticated REST API request — performs an HMAC-style Bearer token comparison that degenerates when `HiiveConnection::get_auth_token()` returns `false`: PHP coerces `strrev(false)` to `strrev('')`, collapsing the secret salt to the publicly known constant `hash('sha256', '') = e3b0c44...`, while all remaining hash inputs (HTTP method, request URL, raw request body, and the `X-Timestamp` header) remain fully attacker-controlled. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to compute a valid Bearer token entirely offline, pass the token equality check, and have `wp_set_current_user()` invoked against the first administrator returned by `get_users(['role' => 'administrator'])`, granting full administrator-level access and enabling arbitrary REST API operations such as creating new administrator accounts and achieving complete site takeover. Vulnerable versions are WP Plugin Crazy Domains (<= 2.5.2), WP Plugin Web (<= 2.3.4), WP Plugin Hostgator (<= 3.1.0), WP Plugin Bluehost (<= 4.17.1). The affected module is vulnerable in versions up to, and including, 2.9.4.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

8.8

HIGH

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

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0051

Probability of exploitation

0.42%

Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-287 Improper Authentication

References

Other References

https://github.com/newfold-labs/wp-module-data/commit/9d913fd8fa12796c4d9c09081e4aeccfa5cb1301 https://github.com/newfold-labs/wp-plugin-bluehost/compare/4.19.0...4.19.1 https://github.com/newfold-labs/wp-plugin-crazy-domains/compare/2.5.2...2.5.3 https://github.com/newfold-labs/wp-plugin-hostgator/compare/3.2.0...3.2.1 https://github.com/newfold-labs/wp-plugin-web/compare/2.3.5...2.3.6 https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-module-data/trunk/includes/Data.php#L191 https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-module-data/trunk/includes/Data.php#L201 https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-module-data/trunk/includes/Data.php#L222 https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-module-data/trunk/includes/Data.php#L69 https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-module-data/trunk/includes/HiiveConnection.php#L406

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-80099? +

Several Newfold plugins are vulnerable to Authentication Bypass. The vulnerability exists because the plugins bundle the wp-module-data module. In the module, the `authenticate()` method — registered on the `rest_authentication_errors` filter and therefore evaluated for every unauthenticated REST API request — performs an HMAC-style Bearer token comparison that degenerates when `HiiveConnection::get_auth_token()` returns `false`: PHP coerces `strrev(false)` to `strrev('')`, collapsing the secret salt to the publicly known constant `hash('sha256', '') = e3b0c44...`, while all remaining hash inputs (HTTP method, request URL, raw request body, and the `X-Timestamp` header) remain fully attacker-controlled. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to compute a valid Bearer token entirely offline, pass the token equality check, and have `wp_set_current_user()` invoked against the first administrator returned by `get_users(['role' => 'administrator'])`, granting full administrator-level access and enabling arbitrary REST API operations such as creating new administrator accounts and achieving complete site takeover. Vulnerable versions are WP Plugin Crazy Domains (<= 2.5.2), WP Plugin Web (<= 2.3.4), WP Plugin Hostgator (<= 3.1.0), WP Plugin Bluehost (<= 4.17.1). The affected module is vulnerable in versions up to, and including, 2.9.4. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH).

How severe is CVE-2026-80099? +

CVE-2026-80099 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 8.8 out of 10, rated HIGH. This is a high-severity vulnerability that should be prioritized for patching. The EPSS score is 0.0051, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-80099? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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