CVE-2026-96653 WP Directory Kit <= 1.5.9 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) SQL Injection via 'display_name' Profile Field (Second-Order)

What is CVE-2026-96653?

CVE-2026-96653 is a medium-severity SQL injection vulnerability in wpdirectorykit WP Directory Kit, published on 10 Oct 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

Official 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.

Weakness: CWE-89

Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-96653?

How do I fix CVE-2026-96653?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-96653 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

Use parameterised queries everywhere and never build SQL by joining strings. Upgrade affected software first; a web application firewall only buys time. More about SQL injection.

Is CVE-2026-96653 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-96653 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Sources

• CVE record
• NVD
• OSV
• GitHub advisory
• How this page is made

Also known as GHSA-m2v9-gpjj-2h93.