CVE-2014-0166

Description

The wp_validate_auth_cookie function in wp-includes/pluggable.php in WordPress before 3.7.2 and 3.8.x before 3.8.2 does not properly determine the validity of authentication cookies, which makes it easier for remote attackers to obtain access via a forged cookie.

Fixed in Linux distributions

Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.

Debian

Security tracker ↗

Release	Package	Fixed in	Advisory
Debian 14	wordpress	3.8.2+dfsg-1	—
Debian 13	wordpress	3.8.2+dfsg-1	—
Debian 12	wordpress	3.8.2+dfsg-1	—
Debian 7	wordpress	3.6.1+dfsg-1~deb7u2	DSA-2901-1
Debian 6.0	wordpress	3.6.1+dfsg-1~deb6u2	DSA-2901-1

Public exploits

Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.

Third-party code, not reviewed by us. Public PoCs are sometimes fake or contain malware. Read the code first and run it only in an isolated lab, against systems you are authorised to test.

GitHub 1 repository

Ettack/POC-CVE-2014-0166 ★ 5 · Apr 26, 2014

POC of CVE-2014-0166 (WordPress cookie forgery vulnerability)

Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.

Advisories 1

DSA-2901-1 wordpress - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026

The wp_validate_auth_cookie function in wp-includes/pluggable.php in WordPress before 3.7.2 and 3.8.x before 3.8.2 does not properly determ…