CVE-2020-36156: Critical severity ultimate member vulnerability

Published Jan 4, 2021
·
Updated

An issue was discovered in the Ultimate Member plugin before 2.1.12 for WordPress, aka Authenticated Privilege Escalation via Profile Update. Any user with wp-admin access to the profile.php page could supply the parameter um-role with a value set to any role (e.g., Administrator) during a profile update, and effectively escalate their privileges.

Affected Software

1 affected component
ultimatemember Ultimate Member Wordpress<2.1.12

Event History

Jan 4, 2021
CVE Published
via MITRE·05:22 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·05:22 PM
DescriptionSeverity

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2020-36156?

The severity of CVE-2020-36156 is critical with a CVSS score of 8.8.

2

How does CVE-2020-36156 affect the Ultimate Member plugin?

CVE-2020-36156 affects the Ultimate Member plugin before version 2.1.12.

3

What is the vulnerability in CVE-2020-36156?

CVE-2020-36156 is an authenticated privilege escalation vulnerability via profile update in the Ultimate Member plugin for WordPress.

4

How can an attacker exploit CVE-2020-36156?

An attacker with wp-admin access to the profile.php page can supply a parameter to elevate their own role.

5

What is the recommended action to fix CVE-2020-36156?

To fix CVE-2020-36156, it is recommended to update the Ultimate Member plugin to version 2.1.12 or later.

Contact

SecAlerts Pty Ltd.
132 Wickham Terrace
Fortitude Valley,
QLD 4006, Australia
info@secalerts.co
By using SecAlerts services, you agree to our services end-user license agreement. This website is safeguarded by reCAPTCHA and governed by the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. All names, logos, and brands of products are owned by their respective owners, and any usage of these names, logos, and brands for identification purposes only does not imply endorsement. If you possess any content that requires removal, please get in touch with us.
© 2026 SecAlerts Pty Ltd.
ABN: 70 645 966 203, ACN: 645 966 203