CVE-2026-12281
Shibboleth < 2.5.4 - Unauthenticated Administrator Account Creation via Identity Header Spoofing
Description
The 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.
INFO
Published Date :
July 15, 2026, 6:16 a.m.
Last Modified :
July 15, 2026, 6:16 a.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
[email protected]
Affected Products
The following products are affected by CVE-2026-12281
vulnerability.
Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the
products
that
are
affected, the information is not represented in the table below.
No affected product recoded yet
Solution
- Update the Shibboleth WordPress plugin to version 2.5.4 or newer.
- Configure an anti-spoofing key for HTTP header identity mode.
- Disable automatic account creation if not needed.
- Ensure untrusted client headers are stripped.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-12281.
| URL | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/8474eda4-6385-447a-9139-f57c049d1713/ |
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-12281 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-12281
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-12281 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-12281 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
-
New CVE Received by [email protected]
Jul. 15, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Affected [{'vendor': 'Unknown', 'product': 'Shibboleth', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '2.5.4', 'versionType': 'semver'}], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}] Added Description The 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. Added Reference https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/8474eda4-6385-447a-9139-f57c049d1713/