# CVE-2026-96451: Ultimate Member privilege escalation in user authorization

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-96451-authorization-bypass-through-user-controlled-key-vulnerability-in  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-10-03. Updated: 2026-10-05  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-96451 · Severity: high · CVSS 8.8 · Published 2026-10-03

Ultimate Member is a WordPress plugin that manages user registration and profiles. This vulnerability allows a low-privilege user (subscriber) to escalate their account to administrator, gaining full control of the website. Attackers can exploit this remotely to take over affected websites without needing special access.

Technologies: [Ultimate Member](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/ultimate-member). Vendors: [Ultimate Member](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/ultimate-member).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-96451 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-96451 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-96451?** High severity, with a CVSS score of 8.8, published 3 October 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Ultimate Member through 2.13.1.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-96451?** Yes: fixed in 2.14.0 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-96451 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a web application.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-96451?** Check whether you run Ultimate Member 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.

## How to fix

- Fixed in 2.14.0 or later

## Technical details

The vulnerability is an authorization bypass through user-controlled keys in Ultimate Member, allowing privilege escalation. A subscriber-level user can exploit this flaw to elevate privileges to administrator. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable and requires only a user account on the target system.

## Affected products

- Ultimate Member Ultimate Member through 2.13.1

## Timeline

- 2026-10-03: disclosed
- 2026-10-01: patched: Version 2.14.0 released

## References

- [https://wordpress.org/plugins](https://wordpress.org/plugins)
- [https://patchstack.com/database/wordpress/plugin/ultimate-member/vulnerability/wordpress-ultimate-member-plugin-2-13-1-privilege-escalation-vulnerability?_s_id=cve](https://patchstack.com/database/wordpress/plugin/ultimate-member/vulnerability/wordpress-ultimate-member-plugin-2-13-1-privilege-escalation-vulnerability?_s_id=cve)

## Related threats

- [Ultimate Member plugin stored cross-site scripting in textarea field](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-116621-the-ultimate-member-user-profile-registration-login-member)
- [Ultimate Member plugin PHP object injection](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-115968-deserialization-of-untrusted-data-vulnerability-in-ultimate)
- [Ultimate Member WordPress plugin Stored XSS in user_url parameter](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-107625-the-ultimate-member-user-profile-registration-login-member)
- [Ultimate Member privilege escalation in role assignment](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-96539-incorrect-privilege-assignment-vulnerability-in-ultimate-member)
- [Ultimate Member WordPress plugin authorization bypass in member profile fields](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-93428-the-ultimate-member-user-profile-registration-login-member)