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

Summary

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.

Timeline

1. Aug 15, 2026, 2:26 AM UTCCVE published
2. Aug 17, 2026, 3:55 PM UTCCISA SSVC assessment

   Exploitation: none · Automatable: yes · Technical impact: total

3. Aug 17, 2026, 3:55 PM UTCRecord last updated

Affected versions

• rafasashi User Session Synchronizer

  through 1.4.0

References 7