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

> Authenticated subscribers can exploit second-order SQL injection in WP Directory Kit to extract sensitive database information.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 10 Oct 2026
- **Updated:** 11 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-m2v9-gpjj-2h93

## 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 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command)

## 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.

## Is CVE-2026-96653 being exploited?

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

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-96653 and fix it if it is affected.

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

Affected product: wpdirectorykit WP Directory Kit. 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-2026-96653/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-96653/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-96653
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-96653
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-96653

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-96653/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.