Shibboleth < 2.5.4 - Unauthenticated Administrator Account Creation via Identity Header Spoofing (CVE-2026-12281) | HOL Guard CVE

High · CVSS 8.1CVE-2026-12281

Shibboleth < 2.5.4 - Unauthenticated Administrator Account Creation via Identity Header Spoofing

Answer in brief

CVE-2026-12281 records a High severity (CVSS 8.1) vulnerability in Shibboleth < 2.5.4 - Unauthenticated Administrator Account Creation via Identity Header Spoofing. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. The current feed maps Unknown/Shibboleth (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Analysis pending evidence review

HOL Guard separates source facts from reviewed analysis. See the methodology.

Published Jul 15, 2026Updated Jul 15, 2026Source checked Sep 19, 2026First seen by HOL Jul 15, 2026Material review Jul 15, 2026

Upstream Advisory

Key facts

Risk: High · CVSS 8.1
Exploitation: Not marked as known exploited
Affected software: 1 mapped package or product
Fix availability: Available

Why this deserves its current priority

CVSS is 8.1. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. Treat this as a source-backed prioritization signal, not a statement about your environment.

Analysis status

Analysis pending evidence review

Factual feed record only; HOL analysis is not approved for indexing. Read the methodology.

Affected scope and exposure questions

The current feed maps Unknown/Shibboleth (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Mapped affected packages and fixed versions
Package	Affected range	Fixed version
Unknown/Shibbolethgeneric	>=0 <2.5.4	2.5.4

Recommended response

Check inventory. Check lockfiles and deployed manifests for Unknown/Shibboleth.
Review the reported fix. Update Unknown/Shibboleth to 2.5.4 if you use the affected versions. Test the change in a non-production environment first.

Evidence timeline and material changes

Published upstream
Jul 15, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:record
Source modified
Jul 15, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:record
First seen by HOL
Jul 15, 2026

Sources and claim methodology

Source referencewpscan.com

Upstream source description

The Shibboleth WordPress plugin before 2.5.4 does not fail closed when its HTTP header identity mode is enabled without an anti-spoofing key, treating any request that carries identity headers as an authenticated session without verifying them. On a deployment where untrusted client headers reach the application, an unauthenticated attacker can log in with forged identity headers and, when automatic account creation and the default administrator role mapping are enabled, create and sign in as a new administrator. Exploitation requires the non-default HTTP header attribute mode, an empty or absent spoof key, automatic account creation enabled, and a deployment that does not strip untrusted client headers before they reach the application.

Quoted source text, attributed separately from HOL analysis.