User Registration & Membership: Improper Privilege Management
CVE-2026-86406 is a high-severity improper privilege management vulnerability in User Registration & Membership, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. The record lists version 5.2.8 as the first without the flaw, so updating User Registration & Membership to that release or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.32% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Update User Registration & Membership to 5.2.8 or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| User Registration & Membership | User Registration & Membership | 4.4.6 up to, but not including, 5.2.8 | 5.2.8 |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
- Attack complexity
- HighSuccess depends on conditions outside the attacker's control.
- Privileges required
- LowA basic user account is enough.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- HighThe component can be taken down completely.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by CISA (ADP).
Official description
The User Registration & Membership WordPress plugin before 5.2.8 does not check the capability of the user making a membership purchase, and does not validate the payment method or the plan submitted with it, allowing any authenticated user such as a subscriber to be granted the WordPress role attached to a paid plan without paying for it. Where the site owner has mapped a plan to a privileged role, this leads to privilege escalation up to administrator.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Improper Privilege Management
The product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Very carefully manage the setting, management, and handling of privileges. Explicitly manage trust zones in the software.
- Follow the principle of least privilege when assigning access rights to entities in a software system.
- Consider following the principle of separation of privilege. Require multiple conditions to be met before permitting access to a system resource.
More Improper Privilege Management vulnerabilities (CWE-269)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Other references
Other vulnerabilities in User Registration & Membership
- 8.1 High severity
- 7.2 High severity
- 7.2 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 8.1 High severity
Recent Improper Privilege Management vulnerabilities
- 8.8 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 7.2 High severity
- 7.2 High severity
- 8.1 High severity
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