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Vulnerability · Published Aug 15, 2026 · Assigned by Wordfence

CVE-2026-15341User Session Synchronizer <= 1.4.0 - Unauthenticated Authentication Bypass to Account Takeover via 'ussync-key', 'ussync-token', and 'ussync-ref' Parameters

Critical 9.8

In plain English

A critical-severity improper authentication in User Session Synchronizer from rafasashi. There are no confirmed reports of exploitation so far. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 0.6% (higher than 48% of all known vulnerabilities).

Severity (CVSS 3.1)9.8Critical
Exploit odds (30 days)0.6%top 51.9% of all CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo reportsCISA SSVC: none
Attack toolingNoneno public tooling known

Official description

The User Session Synchronizer plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Authentication Bypass leading to Account Takeover in all versions up to, and including, 1.4.0. The `synchronize_session()` function, hooked on `init` and therefore executed on every request, performs no nonce, capability, or shared-secret validation against the attacker-supplied `ussync-key`, `ussync-token`, and `ussync-ref` parameters; when `ussync-key` references an unregistered slot, `get_option()` returns `false` for both the secret key and the domain list, causing the AES-256-CBC encryption key to degrade to the fully predictable `md5('')` and the referer allowlist to collapse to an empty-string match, while the AES IV is unconditionally hard-coded as `md5('another-secret')`. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to supply a crafted request encrypting any known or guessable user email address in the `ussync-ref` parameter, causing the handler to call `wp_set_auth_cookie()` for the matched user and granting full authentication as that user — including administrators — with no prior knowledge of site secrets.

Affected products (as reported)

VendorProductVersions
rafasashi User Session Synchronizer 0 – through 1.4.0

Weakness: CWE-287 · Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

References