dbcve.org
Missing AuthorizationWeakness · CWE-862

CVE-2026-4609

HIGH · 7.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-13
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
77/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable 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 unauthorized access due to a missing capability check on the pm_invite_user function in all versions up to, and including, 5.9.8.4. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to add themselves or any registered user to any ProfileGrid group, including closed and paid groups, bypassing all authorization and payment gates.

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 lacks proper capability validation in the pm_invite_user function, allowing any authenticated user with Subscriber-level access to add themselves or other users to arbitrary groups, including closed and paid groups. This broken access control vulnerability bypasses both authorization checks and payment requirements.

MitigationUpdate the ProfileGrid plugin to version 5.9.8.5 or later, which should include proper capability checks (e.g., current_user_can()) on the pm_invite_user function and group membership validation.

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/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, or check the plugins directory for /wp-content/plugins/profilegrid-user-profiles-groups-and-communities/ and read the main plugin file header for the Version value
    Affected if ProfileGrid is installed and the Version field shows a version lower than 5.9.8.5
  2. Locate the pm_invite_user function
    Search the ProfileGrid plugin files for the function definition 'function pm_invite_user' or review the plugin source code in the includes or public folders
    Affected if The pm_invite_user function exists in the installed plugin version
  3. Verify subscriber role capability on invite function
    Check the WordPress user roles under ProfileGrid settings > User Roles, or inspect the pm_invite_user function code to confirm if capability checks like 'current_user_can' are missing before processing group invitations
    Affected if The function processes invitations without verifying user capabilities, allowing Subscriber-level users to invoke it
  4. Identify accessible group types
    Check ProfileGrid group settings to see if closed groups or paid groups exist, then test whether a user with Subscriber role can add themselves or others to these groups via the invite mechanism
    Affected if Closed or paid groups exist and subscriber users can add themselves or other users to these groups without authorization or payment

A user is affected if ProfileGrid plugin is installed with a version lower than 5.9.8.5 and the pm_invite_user function is accessible to authenticated users with Subscriber-level access without proper capability validation.

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 ProfileGrid plugin to version 5.9.8.5 or later, which should include proper capability checks (e.g., current_user_can()) on the pm_invite_user function and group membership validation.

Recommended fix High confidence

Version 5.9.9 or later

  1. Navigate to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. Find 'ProfileGrid – User Profiles, Groups and Communities'
  4. Check if the current version is 5.9.8.4 or below
  5. If vulnerable, click 'Update Now' to install the latest version (5.9.9 or higher)
  6. Alternatively, download the latest version from wordpress.org/plugins/profilegrid-user-profiles-groups-and-communities/ and upload manually
  7. Verify the update was successful and the new version is active

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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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-2026-4609 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data