CVE-2025-6977 in ProfileGrid Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 07/16/2025
The ProfileGrid – User Profiles, Groups and Communities plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Reflected Cross-Site Scripting via the ‘pm_get_messenger_notification’ function in all versions up to, and including, 5.9.5.4 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that execute if they can successfully trick a logged-in user into performing an action such as clicking on a link.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/16/2025
The ProfileGrid plugin for WordPress represents a widely used solution for creating user profiles, groups, and communities within WordPress environments. This vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 5.9.5.4, making it a significant concern for WordPress administrators who rely on this plugin for user management functionality. The plugin's architecture includes a messenger notification system that processes user interactions and displays relevant information to authenticated users. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of user-supplied input within the pm_get_messenger_notification function, which serves as a critical interface for processing notifications and user-related data within the plugin's ecosystem.
The technical flaw manifests through insufficient input sanitization and output escaping mechanisms within the plugin's codebase. When the pm_get_messenger_notification function processes incoming parameters, it fails to properly validate or sanitize user input before incorporating it into the HTML output. This creates a classic reflected cross-site scripting vulnerability where malicious payloads can be injected through URL parameters or other user-controllable inputs. The vulnerability is classified as CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which specifically addresses the failure to properly escape or sanitize data before rendering it in web contexts. The lack of proper output escaping means that any malicious script injected through the vulnerable parameter can execute within the browser context of authenticated users who view the affected pages.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it enables attackers to perform various malicious activities through authenticated user sessions. An unauthenticated attacker can craft malicious URLs containing XSS payloads that, when clicked by a logged-in user, execute scripts in the victim's browser context. This opens doors for session hijacking, credential theft, and other sophisticated attacks that leverage the elevated privileges of authenticated users. The vulnerability particularly affects WordPress environments where ProfileGrid is actively used for community management, as the messenger notification system is frequently accessed by multiple users. Attackers can exploit this weakness to inject malicious scripts that persist across user sessions or execute specific actions on behalf of the victim, potentially leading to complete compromise of user accounts and unauthorized access to sensitive community data.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate remediation through plugin updates to versions that address the XSS vulnerability. WordPress administrators must prioritize updating to the latest available version of ProfileGrid, as this represents the most effective defense against the identified threat. Additionally, implementing proper input validation and output escaping measures within the plugin's codebase would prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring in the future. The security community should consider implementing Content Security Policy headers as an additional defense-in-depth measure to limit the impact of potential XSS attacks. Organizations using this plugin should also conduct thorough security audits of their WordPress installations to identify other potential vulnerabilities and ensure that all third-party plugins maintain proper security standards. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1531 - Account Access Token Hijacking and T1059 - Command and Scripting Interpreter, highlighting the potential for attackers to escalate privileges and execute malicious code through the compromised user sessions.