# CVE-2026-12689: ProfileGrid WordPress plugin missing authorization in private messaging

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-12689-profilegrid-wordpress-plugin-missing-authorization-in-private  
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-2026-12689 · Severity: info · CVSS 5.4 · Published 2026-07-24

ProfileGrid, a WordPress plugin used for creating user profiles and communities, contains a security flaw in its private messaging system. This vulnerability allows any registered user on the site to interfere with private message threads belonging to other people. Specifically, an attacker can hide messages, mark them as read, or modify message metadata, potentially disrupting communication and damaging the integrity of user interactions.

Technologies: [ProfileGrid](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/profilegrid). Vendors: [ProfileGrid](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/profilegrid).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-12689 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-12689 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-12689?** Informational severity, with a CVSS score of 5.4, published 24 July 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** ProfileGrid < 5.9.9.7.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-12689?** 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-2026-12689 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-12689?** Check whether you run ProfileGrid 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 ProfileGrid plugin for WordPress fails to implement authorization or ownership checks on several AJAX actions related to private messaging, specifically 'pm_messenger_delete_threads' and 'pm_messages_mark_as_read'. An authenticated attacker with Subscriber-level privileges or higher can send crafted requests to these endpoints to soft-delete message threads, modify thread metadata (such as 'delete_mid'), or mark unread messages as read for other users. While the vulnerability does not allow the attacker to read the content of the messages, it permits unauthorized integrity and availability tampering. The issue is fixed in version 5.9.9.7.

## Affected products

- ProfileGrid ProfileGrid < 5.9.9.7

## Timeline

- 2026-07-03: disclosed: Publicly published by WPScan
- 2026-07-24: advisory: NVD published date

## References

- [https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/7368fe32-9415-47c3-b94b-b85ca1a0d101/](https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/7368fe32-9415-47c3-b94b-b85ca1a0d101/)

## Related threats

- [WordPress Frontend Dashboard and ProfileGrid PHP object injection](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-103693-the-frontend-dashboard-wordpress-plugin-before-3-0-5-profilegrid)
- [ProfileGrid arbitrary notification deletion via IDOR](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-16291-profilegrid-arbitrary-notification-deletion-via-idor)
- [ProfileGrid WordPress plugin unauthenticated privilege escalation](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-12687-profilegrid-wordpress-plugin-unauthenticated-privilege-escalation)
- [ProfileGrid WordPress plugin missing authorization in license management](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-12690-profilegrid-wordpress-plugin-missing-authorization-in-license)
- [ProfileGrid WordPress plugin payment bypass in PayPal IPN](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-12688-profilegrid-wordpress-plugin-payment-bypass-in-paypal-ipn)