---
id: "CVE-2026-96228"
kind: "vulnerability"
aliases: ["CVE-2026-96228"]
title: "WordPress SSL Wireless SMS plugin: unauthenticated login as any phone-linked user"
severity: "high"
cvss: 8.1
epss: null
exploited: false
status: "open"
category: "package"
products: [{"name": "ssl-wireless-sms-notification", "fixed": [], "affected": "<= 3.8.1", "ecosystem": "wordpress"}]
ecosystems: []
tags: ["auth-bypass", "package", "self-hosted", "ssl-wireless-sms", "woocommerce", "wordpress"]
not_affected_if: ["otp-login-disabled", "plugin-above-3.8.1", "plugin-not-installed"]
published_at: "2026-10-29T04:18:45+00:00"
first_seen_at: "2026-10-29T04:41:58+00:00"
updated_at: "2026-10-29T04:44:28+00:00"
sources: [{"source": "nvd", "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-96228", "first_seen_at": "2026-10-29T04:41:58+00:00"}, {"source": "analyst", "url": null, "first_seen_at": "2026-10-29T04:44:28+00:00"}]
---

# WordPress SSL Wireless SMS plugin: unauthenticated login as any phone-linked user

The SSL Wireless SMS Notification plugin for WordPress, versions up to and including 3.8.1, skips checking the SMS one-time code when finishing a phone login. An unauthenticated attacker who knows a user's linked phone number can get a logged-in session as that user.

_Summary, check and fix written by a model from the sources; labelled as such._

## Affected

- wordpress:ssl-wireless-sms-notification affected <= 3.8.1 fixed ?

## How to check

WordPress admin > Plugins: look for 'SSL Wireless SMS Notification' (slug ssl-wireless-sms-notification) at version 3.8.1 or lower; or run: wp plugin list --name=ssl-wireless-sms-notification. Exposed only if the OTP Login feature is used (phone numbers linked to users).

## Timeline

- 2026-10-29T04:41:58+00:00 nvd https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-96228
- 2026-10-29T04:44:28+00:00 analyst — No fixed version found. WordPress.org directory (vendor page) lists 3.8.1 as latest release, last updated May 2025, with no 3.8.2+; page does not itself say 'no fix', so fix left unknown. Wordfence-assigned CVSS 8.1 (AV:N/AC:H); detail via notcve. NVD page returned no text. No exploitation or PoC seen. Nothing verified: no Wordfence/maintainer advisory read.

## Documents

- [describes] SSL Wireless SMS Notification - WordPress.org plugin directory (latest 3.8.1) https://wordpress.org/plugins/ssl-wireless-sms-notification/
- [mentions] notcve: CVE-2026-96228 (Wordfence CVSS 8.1) https://notcve.org/cve/CVE-2026-96228

## From the sources

SSL Wireless SMS Notification for WordPress is vulnerable to Authentication Bypass in all versions up to, and including, 3.8.1. The public final_login_ajax_action handler resolves a user and issues an authenticated session by matching the wp_sslcare_otp table on only the attacker-supplied phone and cap_data, without verifying the SMS OTP or any server-side single-use state. Because cap_data was chosen by the attacker in the public otp_login_ajax_action step (which stores the row before sending the SMS), the finalize step trivially matches and the user is looked up solely by the sslcare_login_phone meta. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers who know a phone-linked user's number to take over that account.

---

_Free to read at a human pace. An API with keys and an MCP server are in preparation; early access: hello@infrastack.ai_