# CVE-2026-12497: ProfilePress WordPress plugin unauthenticated privilege escalation in registration

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-12497-profilepress-wordpress-plugin-unauthenticated-privilege  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-07-24. Updated: 2026-07-24  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-12497 · Severity: info · CVSS 7.4 · Published 2026-07-24

A vulnerability in the ProfilePress plugin for WordPress allows unauthorized visitors to register for accounts with elevated permissions, such as Editor or Author. This plugin is used to manage user registrations, memberships, and login forms. By exploiting this flaw, an attacker could gain significant control over a website's content and settings, potentially leading to unauthorized data access or site defacement.

Technologies: [ProfilePress](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/profilepress). Vendors: [ProfilePress](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/profilepress).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-12497 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-12497 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-12497?** Informational severity, with a CVSS score of 7.4, published 24 July 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** ProfilePress < 4.16.18.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-12497?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-2026-12497 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-12497?** Check whether you run ProfilePress at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Technical details

The ProfilePress plugin (formerly WP User Avatar) fails to consistently enforce role restrictions on its front-end registration role-selection field. The vulnerability arises because the set of roles displayed to the user and the set of roles accepted by the registration handler are processed by two different parsers. Under certain configurations, the registration handler fails to validate the requested role against the allowed list and defaults to accepting any non-administrator role. Because the registration handler also lacks nonce protection, an unauthenticated attacker can submit a crafted registration request to gain elevated roles like Editor or Author. This issue is fixed in version 4.16.18.

## Affected products

- ProfilePress ProfilePress (formerly WP User Avatar) < 4.16.18

## Timeline

- 2026-07-03: disclosed: Initial public disclosure by WPScan
- 2026-07-24: advisory: NVD publication date

## References

- [https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/bfb14acb-051c-4bcb-adfc-10a27a00dfe7/](https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/bfb14acb-051c-4bcb-adfc-10a27a00dfe7/)

## Related threats

- [ProfilePress WordPress plugin missing authorization in checkout membership plan change](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-123661-the-profilepress-wordpress-plugin-before-4-17-4-does-not-check)
- [ProfilePress WordPress plugin access control bypass via negative plan ID](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-123657-the-profilepress-wordpress-plugin-before-4-17-6-does-not-reject)
- [ProfilePress WordPress plugin access control bypass via REST API](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-123656-the-profilepress-wordpress-plugin-before-4-17-6-does-not)
- [ProfilePress reflected XSS in file upload filename parameter](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-92551-the-paid-membership-plugin-ecommerce-user-registration-form-login)
- [ProfilePress plugin for WordPress sensitive information exposure](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-92536-the-paid-membership-plugin-ecommerce-user-registration-form-login)