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CVE-2026-9290 – Unauthenticated Local File Inclusion (LFI) / RCE – WP User Manager WordPress Plug…

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Summary

CVE-2026-9290 is a high-severity unauthenticated Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability in the WP User Manager – User Profile Builder & Membership WordPress plugin, affecting all versions up to and including 2.9.17. The flaw resides in the profile template scope function’s handling of the tab query parameter, allowing unauthenticated remote attackers to include and execute arbitrary PHP files on the server. A patched version (2.9.18) was released by the vendor on May 30, 2026.

Technical details

  • Root cause: Insufficient input validation and path restriction on the tab query parameter within the plugin’s profile template scope function (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory). Attacker-supplied input is used to resolve a file path without adequate sanitization, enabling path traversal.
  • Trigger conditions: No authentication is required. Any unauthenticated network request to a page rendering the plugin’s profile template can supply a crafted tab parameter value pointing to an arbitrary PHP file on the server.
  • Attack vector: Remote, over the network (AV:N), with low attack complexity (AC:L), requiring no privileges (PR:N) and no user interaction (UI:N).
  • Impact: Unauthenticated attackers can include and execute any PHP file accessible to the web server process. This enables access control bypass, sensitive data disclosure, and — in environments where PHP file uploads are permitted (e.g., via the plugin’s file upload fields or other mechanisms) — full remote code execution (RCE).

Affected software

  • WP User Manager – User Profile Builder & Membership, all versions up to and including 2.9.17

Severity

  • CVSS v3.1 Base Score: 7.5 (HIGH)
  • Vector String: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Mitigation and recommended actions

  • Immediate – Apply the vendor patch: Update the WP User Manager plugin to version 2.9.18 or later. Version 2.9.18 (released May 30, 2026) hardened profile tab input validation and fully addresses this vulnerability.
  • If immediate patching is not possible: Restrict public access to profile template pages via web application firewall rules or server-level controls until the update can be applied. Audit server-side upload directories for any previously uploaded PHP files that could be leveraged for RCE.

IONIX Status

The IONIX research team is tracking ongoing exploitation attempts and recommends immediate patching. Potentially affected assets are outlined in this post.

References

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