CVE-2026-4977

UsersWP <= 1.2.58 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Restricted Usermeta Modification via 'htmlvar' Parameter

2026-04-09 12:42
nquangit

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 1.2.59
Affected Plugin
UsersWP – Front-end login form, User Registration, User Profile & Members Directory plugin for WP
Affected Version
<= 1.2.58
CVSS
4.3Medium
Weakness type
CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
CVE
CVE-2026-4977
View all UsersWP – Front-end login form, User Registration, User Profile & Members Directory plugin for WP vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2026-4977 is a medium-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the UsersWP WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.2.58. 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 1.2.59; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed April 2026, reported by nquangit.

Vulnerability Overview

The UsersWP – Front-end login form, User Registration, User Profile & Members Directory plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Improper Access Control in all versions up to, and including, 1.2.58 This is due to insufficient field-level permission validation in the upload_file_remove() AJAX handler where the $htmlvar parameter is not validated against a whitelist of allowed fields or checked against the field's for_admin_use property. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to clear or reset any restricted usermeta column for their own user record, including fields marked as "For admin use only", bypassing intended field-level access restrictions.

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-862: Missing Authorization

UsersWP <= 1.2.58 carries this weakness at upload_file_remove(), and reaching it takes an account at Subscriber level or above. A missing authorization check means a function is reachable by anyone who can reach the endpoint, because the code never asks whether the caller is allowed to perform the action.

Any user who can reach the endpoint gets to run an action reserved for higher-privileged roles, from reading protected data to changing settings or content. For UsersWP the fix is 1.2.59: builds <= 1.2.58 are affected, anything from 1.2.59 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 1.2.59, 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: UsersWP 1.2.59 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-4977https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/efee685c-e2cd-471b-aea9-607124df6006https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-4977

Related records

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