CVE-2026-18385 - Profilepress Plugin
CVE-2026-18385
The The Paid Membership Plugin, Ecommerce, User Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile & Restrict Content – ProfilePress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary shortcode execution in all versions up to, and including, 4.16.19. This is due to the software allowing users to execute an action that does not properly validate a value before running do_shortcode. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to execute arbitrary shortcodes. The partial mitigation introduced via strip_shortcodes() on [profile-first-name] and [profile-last-name] can be bypassed through the [profile-display-name format="first_last_names"] render path, the [profile-bio] render path (which re-fetches the raw description meta), and the double-bracket escape sequence [[tag]], all of which allow attacker-controlled shortcode text to reach the outer do_shortcode() call.
CVE-2026-18385
MEDIUM
CVSS 5.4
Published 2026-08-16
Updated 2026-08-20
AI Risk Elevated (55/100)
Active Exploit: No strong signal
Published Exploit: No public exploit references
Priority: P3 Priority
Severity Band
MEDIUM
CVSS Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
Affected Components
3
Reference Links
10
AI Risk Engine
Elevated (55/100)
Exploitability
High
Active Exploitation
No strong signal
Published Exploit Status
No public exploit references
AI Context
Machine-generated threat intelligence
AI
Updated 6 days ago
AI enriched 6 days ago (2026-08-16 23:35 UTC)
Technical Summary
The The Paid Membership Plugin, Ecommerce, User Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile & Restrict Content – ProfilePress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary shortcode execution in all versions up to, and including, 4.16.19. This is due to the software allowing users to execute an action that does not properly validate a value before running do_shortcode. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to execute arbitrary shortcodes. The partial mitigation introduced via strip_shortcodes() on…
Potential Impact
Severity is MEDIUM (CVSS 5.4). Depending on deployment context, affected components may be exposed to unauthorized actions or data integrity risk.
Exploitability Assessment
Exploitability is assessed as High based on remote code execution potential.
Primary risk drivers: remote code execution potential
Mitigation Recommendations
Validate affected product versions, prioritize patching, and monitor references for vendor remediation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, apply compensating controls and limit exposure of vulnerable surfaces.
Detection & Monitoring
Track authentication anomalies, unexpected file writes, and suspicious plugin API activity around affected components.
Business Impact Lens
AI risk score 55/100 (Elevated, High) with priority P3 Priority. Prioritize remediation where affected components process customer data, admin sessions, or Internet-exposed workflows.
