CVE-2026-8181

CVE-2026-8181 is a critical-severity vulnerability with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score of 15% places it in the 96th percentile, indicating an elevated likelihood of exploitation. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-287.

Key facts

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.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-8181?
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.
How severe is CVE-2026-8181?
CVE-2026-8181 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2026-8181 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 15% (96th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2026-8181?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
Does CVE-2026-8181 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?
Yes. CVE-2026-8181 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2026-30242.
When was CVE-2026-8181 published?
CVE-2026-8181 was published on 2026-05-14 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Other CWE-287 (Improper Authentication) vulnerabilities

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