CVE-2026-1271

ProfileGrid <= 5.9.7.2 - Insecure Direct Object Reference to Authenticated (Subscriber+) Arbitrary User Profile and Cover Image Modification

2026-02-04 20:36
iwd - Prysm Sec

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 5.9.7.3
Affected Plugin
ProfileGrid – User Profiles, Groups and Communities
Affected Version
<= 5.9.7.2
CVSS
5.3Medium
Weakness type
CWE-639 · Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key
CVE
CVE-2026-1271
View all ProfileGrid – User Profiles, Groups and Communities vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2026-1271 is a medium-severity Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key vulnerability in the ProfileGrid WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 5.9.7.2. It carries a CVSS score of 5.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 5.9.7.3; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed February 2026, reported by iwd - Prysm Sec.

Vulnerability Overview

The ProfileGrid – User Profiles, Groups and Communities plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Insecure Direct Object Reference in all versions up to, and including, 5.9.7.2 via the 'pm_upload_image' and 'pm_upload_cover_image' AJAX actions. This is due to the update_user_meta() function being called outside of the user authorization check in public/partials/crop.php and public/partials/coverimg_crop.php. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to change any user's profile picture or cover image, including administrators.

Technical Analysis

The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, with low attack complexity — no special timing or configuration is needed, and no privileges on the target site, and no interaction from a victim user.

CWE-639: Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key

ProfileGrid <= 5.9.7.2 carries this weakness at pm_upload_image, and reaching it takes an account at Subscriber level or above. Authorization bypass through a user-controlled key, often called insecure direct object reference, means the application looks up a record by an identifier from the request without checking that the caller owns it.

Changing a number in the request is enough to read or modify other users' records, which on commerce and membership sites means customer data. For ProfileGrid the fix is 5.9.7.3: builds <= 5.9.7.2 are affected, anything from 5.9.7.3 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 5.9.7.3, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

Because it turns on account access, WordSec's login security is the relevant layer: role-based two-factor, captcha and brute-force limits raise the cost of getting the account this needs. None of that substitutes for the fix: ProfileGrid 5.9.7.3 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-1271https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/712535ce-8c38-4944-aa0a-36d9bacaeb67https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-1271

Related records

Vulnerability data © Defiant, Inc., provided under the Wordfence Intelligence T&C