Admin Place order as customer opens Catalogue with Login Time Out Whoops! Your sessio

ZC version 1.5.8a; PHP 8.2.20; Apache 2.4.59 on Linux (Ubuntu)
Plugins: (ZCA Bootstrap 4 Template; payment module fee ; Direct Bank Deposit V1.5.8 (AUS revised); securepayxml ; numinix product fields 3.2 ; ceon_back_in_stock_notifications ;
export_shipping_information; edit_orders printable price list; missing image checker;
sales report ; email archive manager; auPost ; recover cart sales ;
Ultimate URL usu ; SitemapXML; access blocker ; )

Production server on Linux no longer automatically logs into Customer Account when "Place Order" selected. The message at the top of the Shop front is "Login Time Out. Whoops! Your session has expired."

To create an order I must enter the Customer email address and the admin password.
Admin settings are:
Customer Place Order: Admin Profiles = 0
Customer Place Order: Passwordless Login = true
Customer Place Order: Single Admin ID = 1

Master Password [this is populated and not changed in years]

Same code, copy of same database, same PHP version on Windows and it still works perfectly.

I assume it must be a permission problem on the Linux server but what?

I recently changed some folder permissions back to 755 as per the article in https://docs.zen-cart.com/user/installing/permissions/#:~:text=Click%20on%20html_includes.,users%20%28usually%209%20checkboxes%29.
but had to revert \logs to 775 and the actual logs folder defined by DIR_FS_LOGS to 775 in an attempt to stop the errors from AbuseIPDB and Access Blocker.

OldNGrey:

ZC version 1.5.8a; PHP 8.2.20; Apache 2.4.59 on Linux (Ubuntu)
Plugins: (ZCA Bootstrap 4 Template; payment module fee ; Direct Bank Deposit V1.5.8 (AUS revised); securepayxml ; numinix product fields 3.2 ; ceon_back_in_stock_notifications ;
export_shipping_information; edit_orders printable price list; missing image checker;
sales report ; email archive manager; auPost ; recover cart sales ;
Ultimate URL usu ; SitemapXML; access blocker ; )

Production server on Linux no longer automatically logs into Customer Account when "Place Order" selected. The message at the top of the Shop front is "Login Time Out. Whoops! Your session has expired."

To create an order I must enter the Customer email address and the admin password.
Admin settings are:
Customer Place Order: Admin Profiles = 0
Customer Place Order: Passwordless Login = true
Customer Place Order: Single Admin ID = 1

Master Password [this is populated and not changed in years]

Same code, copy of same database, same PHP version on Windows and it still works perfectly.

I assume it must be a permission problem on the Linux server but what?

I recently changed some folder permissions back to 755 as per the article in https://docs.zen-cart.com/user/installing/permissions/#:~:text=Click%20on%20html_includes.,users%20%28usually%209%20checkboxes%29.
but had to revert \logs to 775 and the actual logs folder defined by DIR_FS_LOGS to 775 in an attempt to stop the errors from AbuseIPDB and Access Blocker.

You are running a very old version of Zen Cart, have you considered upgrading?