BP Profile Search <= 5.9 - Unauthenticated Local File Inclusion to Remote Code Execution via 'bps_directory' Cookie 'ajax_template' Value

CISA KEV is observed exploitation evidence. FIRST EPSS is a dated prediction of exploitation in the next 30 days. Missing scores are unknown. This collector requests predictions only for explicit CVE aliases in the public NuGet archive; Microsoft release views retain their existing prediction scope.

No collected risk observation for these identifiers. This does not establish absence of exploitation or a zero probability.

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.

Source published

14 Oct 2026 01:27:15 UTC

Source modified

14 Oct 2026 18:19:54 UTC

Observed here

23 Oct 2026 15:48:27 UTC

Source terms

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CVSS 3.1 · 8.1 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H