# CVE-2014-0166: Auth bypass in n/a

> Remote attackers can bypass authentication and gain unauthorized access by forging cookies due to improper validation in WordPress.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.4 (`AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 9 Apr 2014
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2014-0166, GHSA-jg4j-hqh7-5qcx

## What is CVE-2014-0166?

CVE-2014-0166 is a medium-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Wordpress Wordpress, published on 9 Apr 2014. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The wp_validate_auth_cookie function in wp-includes/pluggable.php in WordPress before 3.7.2 and 3.8.x before 3.8.2 does not properly determine the validity of authentication cookies, which makes it easier for remote attackers to obtain access via a forged cookie.

Weakness: CWE-287 (Improper Authentication)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2014-0166?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Wordpress Wordpress.

## How do I fix CVE-2014-0166?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2014-0166 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2014-0166 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- POC of CVE-2014-0166 (WordPress cookie forgery vulnerability) (github_poc): https://github.com/Ettack/POC-CVE-2014-0166

## Other vulnerabilities in Wordpress Wordpress

- [CVE-2026-63030](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-63030/): WordPress Core Interpretation Conflict (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-87902](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-87902/): WordPress Core Remote File Inclusion (high 8.1, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-60137](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-60137/): WordPress Core SQL Injection (medium 5.9, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2012-2399](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-2399/): Cross-site scripting in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2012-2400](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-2400/): Other in n/a (critical 10.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2014-0166 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2014-0166 is a medium-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Wordpress Wordpress, published on 9 Apr 2014. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2014-0166 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Wordpress Wordpress. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-0166/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-0166/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2014-0166
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-0166
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2014-0166

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-0166/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.