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Authorization Bypass (IDOR)Weakness · CWE-639

CVE-2026-1271

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-02-05
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
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 summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The ProfileGrid WordPress plugin has an IDOR vulnerability where the pm_upload_image and pm_upload_cover_image AJAX actions call update_user_meta() without verifying the requesting user is authorized to modify the target user's profile. This allows any authenticated user with Subscriber-level access to change any other user's profile picture or cover image, including administrators.

MitigationUpdate the plugin to version 5.9.8 or later which includes proper authorization checks. Until then, restrict or disable the affected AJAX actions and monitor for suspicious profile modification activity.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm ProfileGrid plugin is installed
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and locate ProfileGrid. Note the version number displayed.
    Affected if ProfileGrid plugin is installed and active
  2. Check installed version against fixed release
    Compare the installed version number to 5.9.8. The plugin version is typically shown in the plugin list or can be read from the plugin header file (e.g., /wp-content/plugins/profilegrid/front/profilegrid.php)
    Affected if Installed version is lower than 5.9.8
  3. Verify subscriber-level users exist
    In WordPress admin, go to Users > All Users and check for any users with the Subscriber role, or examine user roles via database query on wp_usermeta with meta_key = 'wp_capabilities'
    Affected if At least one user with Subscriber role or lower privilege exists in the system
  4. Confirm AJAX actions are accessible to subscribers
    The vulnerability exists in wp_ajax_pm_upload_image and wp_ajax_pm_upload_cover_image actions. These are registered with add_action() and accessible if the plugin is active. No specific config disable is mentioned, so verify the plugin handles authorization.
    Affected if Plugin version is below 5.9.8 AND AJAX handlers respond to requests from authenticated subscribers

Your environment is affected if ProfileGrid plugin version is below 5.9.8 and you have any authenticated users with Subscriber-level access, as they can modify other users profile images via the vulnerable AJAX actions.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update the plugin to version 5.9.8 or later which includes proper authorization checks. Until then, restrict or disable the affected AJAX actions and monitor for suspicious profile modification activity.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Version higher than 5.9.7.2 (check WordPress plugin repository for latest stable release)

  1. Navigate to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. Locate ProfileGrid – User Profiles, Groups and Communities
  4. Check if the current version is 5.9.7.2 or earlier
  5. If vulnerable, click 'Update Now' to install the latest version

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-1271 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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