Is CVE-2026-97637 exploited in the wild?

No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-97637 being exploited in the wild.

How severe is CVE-2026-97637?

Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 9.8, published 2 October 2026.

Which products and versions are affected?

Automattic JSON API Auth up to and including 3.1.2.

Is there a fix for CVE-2026-97637?

No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

How is CVE-2026-97637 attacked?

It is attacked over the network, in a web application.

Am I affected by CVE-2026-97637?

Check whether you run Automattic JSON API Auth at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

CVE-2026-97637: WordPress JSON API Auth authentication bypass via cached session cookie

CVE-2026-97637 · Severity: critical · CVSS 9.8 · Published 2026-10-02

The JSON API Auth plugin for WordPress allows attackers to retrieve valid administrator session cookies from cached API responses and use them to take over administrator accounts. An attacker can access previously cached authentication endpoints without credentials if an administrator has used the authentication feature within the past 24 hours. This gives an attacker complete control of the WordPress site.

Vendors: Automattic.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2026-97637 exploited in the wild?: No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-97637 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2026-97637?: Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 9.8, published 2 October 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?: Automattic JSON API Auth up to and including 3.1.2.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-97637?: No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.
How is CVE-2026-97637 attacked?: It is attacked over the network, in a web application.
Am I affected by CVE-2026-97637?: Check whether you run Automattic JSON API Auth at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

Technical details

The vulnerability exists because the parent PI-Media/json-api plugin caches API controller responses based only on URI and query string, ignoring HTTP method and POST body. The generate_auth_cookie endpoint returns live WordPress logged_in cookies in JSON responses, which remain accessible via subsequent GET requests to the same URI from unauthenticated attackers. An HTTPS enforcement check can be bypassed via the insecure=cool parameter, allowing exploitation over unencrypted connections.

Affected products

Automattic JSON API Auth up to and including 3.1.2

Timeline

2026-10-02: disclosed

References

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