BP Profile Search: Unauthenticated Local File Inclusion via bps_directory cookie
Summary
BP Profile Search, a WordPress plugin for BuddyPress member directories, is affected up to and including version 5.9. An unauthenticated attacker can manipulate the client-controlled bps_directory cookie so that the plugin includes arbitrary PHP files from the server. Depending on the server configuration, for example if PHP files can be uploaded, this can lead to remote code execution.
Affected
- BP Profile Search versions up to and including 5.9
- Vendor and CNA data: affected 0 to <= 5.9
Fixed in
Unknown. A 6.0 release is referenced in the CVE sources, but a public release could not be confirmed. Do not assume 6.0 is safe until you have verified it on WordPress.org.
Workaround
- No vendor-published workaround found.
- Deactivate the plugin where the member directory is not essential.
Exploitation
- CVSS 8.1 (v3.1), attack vector network, no privileges or user interaction required, high attack complexity.
- No public exploit code confirmed at time of research.
- Not listed in the CISA KEV catalog according to the research notes; verify directly.
- CISA SSVC: exploitation none, automatable no, technical impact total.
Our recommendation
- Inventory all WordPress sites running BP Profile Search and record the version.
- Deactivate the plugin on sites where it is not essential.
- Where it is essential, apply the fixed release once confirmed on WordPress.org, or ask the vendor directly.
- Review WAF or host-level rules for suspicious requests and monitor the CISA KEV catalog and Wordfence feeds.
Public exploits
PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit and Exploit-DB list nothing for this CVE.
Research sources
- Wordfence threat intelligence entry www.wordfence.com
- NVD record mirror (Vulners) vulners.com
- Plugin changeset r3737650 plugins.trac.wordpress.org
- Trac: bps-directory.php tag 6.0 plugins.trac.wordpress.org
- WordPress.org plugin page wordpress.org
- VulDB entry vuldb.com
Researched and written up in English and German by an AI (Claude by Anthropic) based on NVD, CISA, EPSS and the sources listed. The vendor information is authoritative. Researched on 1 Nov 2026, 19:12.
Original description (NVD)
The BP Profile Search plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Local File Inclusion in versions up to, and including, 5.9 via the 'ajax_template' value parsed from the client-controlled 'bps_directory' cookie during BuddyPress AJAX directory requests. The bps_directory_ajax() filter (hooked onto bp_legacy_object_template_path and bp_nouveau_object_template_path) reads the cookie, applies only a referer-derived 'page' comparison in bps_get_directory_data() (where bps_current_page() uses HTTP_REFERER during AJAX and is therefore also attacker-controlled), and then suffixes the attacker-controlled template value with '.php' and passes it to bp_locate_template() with no basename restriction, no whitelist, and no path-traversal check. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to include arbitrary PHP files on the server, which can lead to remote code execution when PHP files can be uploaded or when images such as the default wordpress:php8.
NVD references (6)
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/bp-profile-search/tags/5.9/bps-directory.php#L186
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/bp-profile-search/tags/5.9/bps-directory.php#L408
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/bp-profile-search/tags/5.9/bps-search.php#L6
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/bp-profile-search/tags/6.0/bps-directory.php
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3737650
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/a35419ff-a342-4480-9288-e98dee5afabc?source=cve
Sources
The tracker combines official, freely usable data sources – updated continuously:
- NVD (NIST) – CVEs, rating (CVSS), affected products
- CISA KEV – vulnerabilities confirmed by CISA as actively exploited
- CISA Vulnrichment – CISA assessment (SSVC) in the official CVE record
- FIRST EPSS – probability of exploitation
- Microsoft MSRC – Patch Tuesday: vulnerabilities, severity, updates
- PoC-in-GitHub – public proof-of-concept repositories
- Metasploit (Rapid7) – modules of the Metasploit Framework
- Exploit-DB (OffSec) – archive of public exploits (links only)
- Patch days: official vendor pages (linked per vendor) (Vendor patch days)
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS data © FIRST.org.
Affected? We can help.
We check whether your systems are affected, install updates and close the gap – continuously with the System Health Checker if you wish.