# CVE-2026-1656: Business Directory Plugin <= 6.4.20 - Missing Authorization to Unauthenticated Arbitrary Listing Modification

> Unauthenticated attackers can modify arbitrary listing details in the Business Directory Plugin for WordPress due to missing authorization checks.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 18 Feb 2026
- **Updated:** 8 Apr 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-53pp-j4fh-wvrr

## What is CVE-2026-1656?

CVE-2026-1656 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in strategy11team Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing Directories for WordPress, published on 18 Feb 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The Business Directory Plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authorization bypass due to a missing authorization check in all versions up to, and including, 6.4.20. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to modify arbitrary listings, including changing titles, content, and email addresses, by directly referencing the listing ID in crafted requests to the wpbdp_ajax AJAX action.

Weakness: CWE-862 (Missing Authorization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-1656?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-1656?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-1656 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-1656 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-1656 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-1656 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-1656 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in strategy11team Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing Directories for WordPress, published on 18 Feb 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-1656 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: strategy11team Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing Directories for WordPress. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-1656/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-1656/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-1656
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-1656
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-1656

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-1656/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.