CVE-2026-12697

wpForo Forum <= 3.1.1 - Insecure Direct Object Reference to Authenticated (Subscriber+) Chat Message Deletion

2026-07-16 00:00
Revanth Hari Narayana Matte

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 3.1.2
Affected Plugin
wpForo Forum
Affected Version
<= 3.1.1
CVSS
4.3Medium
Weakness type
CWE-639 · Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key
CVE
CVE-2026-12697
View all wpForo Forum vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2026-12697 is a medium-severity Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key vulnerability in the wpForo Forum WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 3.1.1. 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 3.1.2; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed July 2026, reported by Revanth Hari Narayana Matte.

Vulnerability Overview

The wpForo Forum plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Insecure Direct Object Reference in all versions up to, and including, 3.1.1 due to missing validation on a user controlled key. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to delete other user's chat messages.

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 wpForo Forum <= 3.1.1 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 wpForo Forum the fix is 3.1.2: builds <= 3.1.1 are affected, anything from 3.1.2 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 3.1.2, 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: wpForo Forum 3.1.2 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-12697https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/35ec9787-81f2-46c9-98d7-29095181a531https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-12697

Related records

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