Limit Login Attempts Reloaded <= 2.17.3 - Login Rate Limiting Bypass
LimitLoginAttempts.php in the limit-login-attempts-reloaded plugin before 2.17.4 for WordPress allows a bypass of (per IP address) rate limits because the X-Forwarded-For header can be forged. When the plugin is configured to accept an arbitrary header for the client source IP address, a malicious user is not limited to perform a brute force attack, because the client IP header accepts any arbitrary string. When randomizing the header input, the login count does not ever reach the maximum allowed retries.
Affected software
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| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress plugin | Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention | <= 2.17.3 | 2.17.4 |
References
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-307- Platform
- WordPress
- Package
Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention- Disclosed
- 14.12.2020
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 10:22
Sources and licenses
Wordfence Intelligence - 669c50b8-316c-4f63-8b78-361cfcfd4d5f - Wordfence Intelligence
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Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc.
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Vulnerability history: Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention
All published vulnerabilities of this package (WordPress plugin), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 5
- First → latest
- 12.2020 08.2026
- Without a fix
- 0
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- High 1
- Medium 4
Disclosures per year
- 2020: 2
- 2021: 0
- 2022: 0
- 2023: 2
- 2024: 0
- 2025: 0
- 2026: 1
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Limit Login Attempts Reloaded <= 2.17.3 - Login Rate Limiting Bypass this entry
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