# CVE-2026-8181: Burst Statistics 3.4.0 - 3.4.1.1 - Authentication Bypass to Admin Account Takeover

> Unauthenticated attackers can bypass authentication and take over administrator accounts in the Burst Statistics WordPress plugin by exploiting incorrect password validation logic.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 14 May 2026
- **Updated:** 14 May 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-qv3x-rrx4-9pmh

## What is CVE-2026-8181?

CVE-2026-8181 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in burstbv Burst Statistics – Privacy-Friendly WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative), published on 14 May 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The Burst Statistics – Privacy-Friendly WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Authentication Bypass in versions 3.4.0 to 3.4.1.1. This is due to incorrect return-value handling in the `is_mainwp_authenticated()` function when validating application passwords from the Authorization header. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers, with knowledge of an administrator username, to impersonate that administrator for the duration of the request by supplying any random Basic Authentication password achieving privilege escalation.

Weakness: CWE-287 (Improper Authentication)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-8181?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-8181?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-8181 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-8181 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-8181 exists.

Public exploit code:

- CVE-2026-8181 - Burst Statistics 3.4.0-3.4.1.1 Unauthenticated Authentication Bypass to Admin Account Takeover | Proof of Concept (github_poc): https://github.com/zycoder0day/CVE-2026-8181
- CVE-2026-8181 PoC: Burst Statistics (3.4.0–3.4.1.1) authentication bypass. Python tool — single & multi-target scans, threaded workers, TXT reports. Authorized testing only. Maintainer: mürrez. (github_poc): https://github.com/murrez/CVE-2026-8181
- Exploit for the CVE-2026-8181 - Burst Statistics WordPress Plugin Authentication Bypass (github_poc): https://github.com/whattheslime/CVE-2026-8181
- CVE-2026-8181 | Burst Statistics 3.4.0 - 3.4.1.1 - Authentication Bypass to Admin Account Takeover  (github_poc): https://github.com/xShadow-Here/CVE-2026-8181
- https://github.com/0xTerror/CVE-2026-8181 (github_poc): https://github.com/0xTerror/CVE-2026-8181
- CVE-2026-8181: Burst Statistics Auth Bypass → REST API takeover & admin creation. Python 2.7. Educational use only. (github_poc): https://github.com/Jenderal92/CVE-2026-8181

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-8181 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-8181 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in burstbv Burst Statistics – Privacy-Friendly WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative), published on 14 May 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-8181 exists.

Affected product: burstbv Burst Statistics – Privacy-Friendly WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative). 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-2026-8181/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-8181/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-8181
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-8181
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-8181

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-8181/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.