CVE-2026-24986 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability identified in the Simple Membership WP user Import plugin developed by wp.insider for WordPress. This plugin facilitates importing users into a WordPress membership system, a common feature for managing access and subscriptions. The vulnerability exists in versions up to and including 1.9.1, allowing an attacker to craft malicious web requests that, when executed by an authenticated administrator, perform unauthorized user import actions without their knowledge or consent. CSRF attacks exploit the trust a web application places in the user's browser by leveraging the user's authenticated session to perform state-changing operations. In this case, the attacker could cause the administrator's browser to send a forged request to the plugin's import functionality, potentially adding unauthorized users or modifying membership data. The vulnerability does not require prior authentication by the attacker but does require the victim to be logged in with sufficient privileges, typically an administrator. No CVSS score has been assigned yet, and no public exploits are known. However, the risk is significant due to the potential for unauthorized user management, which could lead to privilege escalation or unauthorized access to protected resources within the WordPress site. The lack of patches or mitigation details in the provided data suggests that organizations should proactively monitor for updates and apply security best practices to reduce exposure.

For European organizations, the impact of this CSRF vulnerability can be substantial, especially for those relying on WordPress-based membership sites for business operations, e-commerce, or community management. Unauthorized user imports could lead to the creation of rogue accounts with elevated privileges or access to sensitive content, undermining confidentiality and integrity. This could facilitate further attacks such as data exfiltration, fraud, or disruption of services. The availability of the site might also be indirectly affected if malicious users perform actions that degrade system performance or cause administrative confusion. Organizations handling personal data under GDPR must consider the compliance risks associated with unauthorized access or data manipulation. The threat is particularly relevant for sectors with high membership site usage, including education, professional associations, and subscription services. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the potential for future attacks once exploit code becomes available.

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations should: 1) Monitor the Simple Membership WP user Import plugin vendor announcements and apply security patches promptly once released. 2) Implement web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules to detect and block CSRF attack patterns targeting the plugin's endpoints. 3) Enforce strict administrative access controls, limiting plugin usage to trusted administrators and using multi-factor authentication (MFA) to reduce the risk of session compromise. 4) Employ security plugins or custom code to add anti-CSRF tokens to all state-changing requests within the WordPress admin interface, ensuring that forged requests are rejected. 5) Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing focused on WordPress plugins and user management workflows. 6) Educate administrators about the risks of CSRF and encourage cautious browsing habits while logged into administrative accounts. 7) Consider isolating membership management functions or using alternative plugins with better security track records if immediate patching is not feasible.