CVE-2026-96653: CWE-89 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') in wpdirectorykit WP Directory Kit
Description
The WP Directory Kit plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to time-based SQL Injection via 'display_name' Profile Field (Second-Order) in all versions up to, and including, 1.5.9 due to insufficient escaping on the user supplied parameter and lack of sufficient preparation on the existing SQL query. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to append additional SQL queries into already existing queries that can be used to extract sensitive information from the database. This is a second-order injection: a Subscriber stores a display_name containing a single quote via their own profile, which WordPress preserves verbatim; the payload is then triggered when WdkCachedUserEditor::update_listings_user_editor() re-reads that stored value and passes it unsanitized to the SQL sink.
CVSS v3.1
Score 6.5medium
Affected software
wpdirectorykit
WP Directory Kit
Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
The WP Directory Kit WordPress plugin contains a second-order SQL Injection vulnerability in all versions up to and including 1.5.9. The issue arises because the 'display_name' profile field input is insufficiently escaped when stored and later used unsanitized in the WdkCachedUserEditor::update_listings_user_editor() SQL query. Authenticated attackers with subscriber-level privileges can exploit this by inserting a crafted display_name containing SQL control characters, which triggers time-based SQL injection upon query execution, enabling unauthorized data extraction.
Potential Impact
An attacker with subscriber-level access can exploit this vulnerability to perform time-based SQL Injection attacks, allowing them to extract sensitive information from the database. The vulnerability does not impact data integrity or availability but compromises confidentiality by exposing sensitive data.
Mitigation Recommendations
No official patch or fix is currently available for this vulnerability. Users should monitor the vendor's advisory for updates. Until a fix is released, restrict subscriber-level user input where possible and consider applying custom input validation or sanitization on the 'display_name' field to mitigate injection risks.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- Wordfence
- Date Reserved
- 2026-09-23T14:42:12.165Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 6ac9f1752cdf04f65615882c
Added to database: 10/10/2026, 08:04:05 UTC
Last enriched: 10/10/2026, 08:18:49 UTC
Last updated: 10/10/2026, 21:26:56 UTC
Views: 17
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