Simple User Avatar <= 4.9 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Insecure Direct Object Reference
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 5.0
- Affected Plugin
- Simple User Avatar
- Affected Version
<= 4.9- CVSS
- 4.3Medium
- Weakness type
- CWE-639 · Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key
- CVE
CVE-2026-57676
At a glance
CVE-2026-57676 is a medium-severity Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key vulnerability in the Simple User Avatar WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 4.9. It carries a CVSS score of 4.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Subscriber level or above. The issue is fixed in version 5.0; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed June 2026, reported by Ananda Dhakal.
Vulnerability Overview
The Simple User Avatar plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Insecure Direct Object Reference in all versions up to, and including, 4.9 due to missing validation on a user controlled key. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to perform an unauthorized action.
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 interaction from a victim user.
CWE-639: Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key
Reaching this weakness in Simple User Avatar <= 4.9 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 Simple User Avatar the fix is 5.0: builds <= 4.9 are affected, anything from 5.0 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 5.0, 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: Simple User Avatar 5.0 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Login Security
- Alerts
External References
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