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GHSA-VFPX-Q664-H93M: CVE-2026-34236: Insecure Deserialization via Insufficient Entropy in Auth0 WordPress Plugin

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CVE-2026-34236: Insecure Deserialization via Insufficient Entropy in Auth0 WordPress Plugin

Vulnerability ID: GHSA-VFPX-Q664-H93M
CVSS Score: 8.2
Published: 2026-04-03

The Auth0 WordPress plugin (versions 5.0.0-BETA0 through 5.5.0) and its underlying Auth0-PHP SDK (versions 8.0.0 through 8.18.0) suffer from a cryptographic flaw due to insufficient entropy in session cookie encryption. This weakness permits attackers to brute-force the encryption key offline, forge malicious session cookies, and trigger insecure deserialization upon processing by the server. Successful exploitation allows authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code within the context of the WordPress instance.

TL;DR

Insufficient encryption entropy in the Auth0 WordPress plugin allows attackers to brute-force session keys, forge cookies, and achieve remote code execution via PHP insecure deserialization. Update the plugin to version 5.6.0 and the Auth0-PHP SDK to version 8.19.0.

⚠️ Exploit Status: POC

Technical Details

  • CWE ID: CWE-331 / CWE-502
  • Attack Vector: Network
  • CVSS v3.1 Score: 8.2 (High)
  • Impact: Remote Code Execution
  • Exploit Status: Proof-of-Concept Available
  • Authentication Required: Yes (Low Privileges / Valid Session Cookie)

Affected Systems

  • WordPress environments using the Auth0 WordPress Plugin versions 5.0.0-BETA0 through 5.5.0
  • PHP applications utilizing the Auth0-PHP SDK versions 8.0.0 through 8.18.0
  • auth0/wordpress: >= 5.0.0-BETA0, <= 5.5.0 (Fixed in: 5.6.0)
  • auth0/auth0-php: >= 8.0.0, <= 8.18.0 (Fixed in: 8.19.0)

Mitigation Strategies

  • Upgrade Auth0 WordPress plugin to version 5.6.0 or higher.
  • Update the auth0/auth0-php SDK dependency to version 8.19.0 or higher.
  • Rotate the Auth0 Client Secret and any localized session encryption keys.
  • Enforce Secure and HttpOnly flags on all session cookies.

Remediation Steps:

  1. Execute 'composer update auth0/wordpress' to install the latest plugin version.
  2. Verify the installed SDK version by running 'composer show auth0/auth0-php' and ensuring it reads 8.19.0 or higher.
  3. Navigate to the Auth0 administrative dashboard, select the application linked to the WordPress instance, and generate a new Client Secret.
  4. Update the WordPress plugin settings with the newly generated Client Secret.
  5. Generate new, high-entropy cryptographic keys for any session configurations defined in wp-config.php.

References

Read the full report for GHSA-VFPX-Q664-H93M on our website for more details including interactive diagrams and full exploit analysis.

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