Critical Privilege Escalation Vulnerability in ProfileGrid Plugin for WordPress

The ProfileGrid – User Profiles, Groups and Communities plugin for WordPress is critically vulnerable to privilege escalation via account takeover, affecting all versions up to and including 5.9.9.5. The vulnerability arises from improper validation of the `user_login` parameter on registration forms, allowing unauthenticated attackers to change the email address of the administrator account (user ID=1) and reset the password. This flaw poses a significant risk as it enables attackers to gain full access to the WordPress administrative account without any authentication. Currently, there is no evidence of public proof-of-concept exploits or active exploitation in the wild. Administrators are advised to update the plugin immediately or disable it until a patch can be applied. The CVSS base score assigned to this vulnerability is 9.8, indicating a critical severity level. The vulnerability was published on June 30, 2026.

Key Points: • ProfileGrid plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to privilege escalation in versions <=5.9.9.5. • Attackers can change the admin email and reset passwords without authentication. • Immediate updates or disabling the plugin is recommended to mitigate risks.