Is JSON API Auth safe to use?

Laskyr does not give safety verdicts. No known unpatched vulnerabilities in the latest version (3.1.3). As of 2026-11-04. 1 issue is on record for older versions; version 3.1.3 or newer fixes all of them that state a fix. Keep JSON API Auth on the latest version (3.1.3) and remove it if you do not use it.

Which versions of JSON API Auth are vulnerable?

Known issues on record (newest first): Authentication bypass (3.1.2 and older, fixed in 3.1.3). The full list with sources is on this page.

What is the latest version of JSON API Auth?

3.1.3, according to wordpress.org (last updated 2026-09-25). It has 600+ active installs.

What should I do if my JSON API Auth is out of date?

Take a backup, then update it from Dashboard > Updates (or run wp plugin update json-api-auth). If you cannot update right away, deactivate it until you can. If you think the site was already attacked, run a free scan at https://laskyr.com/scan.

Plugins · json-api-auth · data as of 2026-11-04

Is JSON API Auth safe? Known vulnerabilities and latest version

Latest version: 3.1.3
Last updated: 2026-09-25
Active installs: 600+
Known issues on record: 1
Unpatched in latest: 0
Tested up to WP: 7.1.4 · PHP 7.4+

Extends the JSON API Plugin for RESTful user authentication — by Ali Qureshi

What to do

Update to the latest version (3.1.3). Anything older than 3.1.3 has at least one known issue listed below. Dashboard → Updates, or Plugins → “update now”.
If you cannot update right away, deactivate it until you can.
Turn on auto-updates for it: Plugins → “Enable auto-updates” on its row.
If you ran a vulnerable version and something looks off (spam pages, strange admins, redirects), run the free scan.

With WP-CLI: wp plugin get json-api-auth --field=version shows what you run; wp plugin update json-api-auth updates it.

Check your version

Known vulnerabilities

1 on record, newest first. “Affected” is the version range the source gives; “fixed in” is the version the source names, or (marked *) the first wordpress.org release after the last affected version.

critical 9.8 CVE-2026-97637 · published 2026-10-02

Authentication bypass in JSON API Auth (3.1.2 and older)

Affected: 3.1.2 and older
Fixed in: 3.1.3 *
Access needed (per CVSS): No login needed
Range from: CVE record (the advisory publisher) · score by Wordfence

Details from the advisory

The JSON API Auth plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Authentication Bypass via Cached Session Cookie Disclosure in all versions up to, and including, 3.1.2. The vulnerability exists because the required PI-Media/json-api parent plugin caches controller dispatch results in transients keyed solely by URI and query string, ignoring HTTP method and POST body; this causes the `generate_auth_cookie()` endpoint — which embeds a live WordPress `logged_in` cookie produced by `wp_generate_auth_cookie()` directly in its JSON response body — to serve that cached authenticated response to any subsequent unauthenticated GET request to the same URI. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to retrieve a valid Administrator `logged_in` session cookie from the cached response and use it to fully authenticate as the site Administrator, including via the same plugin's `get_currentuserinfo` endpoint and any cookie-authenticated controller action. Exploitation requires the PI-Media/json-api parent plugin to be installed and active with the Auth controller enabled, and a legitimate Administrator must have POSTed to `/api/auth/generate_auth_cookie/` within the preceding 24-hour cache TTL; the nominal HTTPS enforcement gate present in `Auth.php` is trivially bypassed by supplying `insecure=cool` as a request parameter.

NVD CVE-2026-97637 Wordfence advisory Code change (fix)Plugin source

Recent activity

2026-09-25 — latest release on wordpress.org (3.1.3).
2026-10-02 — Authentication bypass disclosed (CVE-2026-97637), fixed in 3.1.3.

Free. We check the CVE feeds every day and email you only when a new issue for JSON API Auth (json-api-auth) is published or a fix ships. Unsubscribe in one click.

Browse vulnerabilities

Types found in this plugin: Authentication bypass (1)

Where this data comes from

Version, last update, installs: wordpress.org/plugins/json-api-auth (Plugins API), fetched 2026-11-04.
Vulnerabilities: NIST National Vulnerability Database (NVD), checked 2026-11-04. This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.
Each record links to its CVE page and to the original advisory (Wordfence, Patchstack or WPScan) where there is one. We only list a CVE here when its references or its advisory name this exact plugin, so a few real issues may be missing; none should be about a different plugin. Spot an error? Email Daniel.

Badge for your site or docs (states facts with a date, not a verdict):

<a href="https://laskyr.com/plugins/json-api-auth"><img src="https://laskyr.com/plugins/json-api-auth/badge.svg" alt="JSON API Auth vulnerability status"></a>

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