Reported vulnerability

Better Messages <= 2.15.33 - Unauthenticated Information Exposure Spoofing via 'X-Real-IP' Header via /guests/register

Q: Which versions of Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots are affected?

Wordfence lists these affected versions: Start version unspecified, through 2.15.33. Use the version checker above to compare your installed release with this report.

Q: Is a fix available for Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots?

Wordfence reports a fix for this issue in Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots. It lists these fixed versions: 3.0.0. Back up your website and test the recommended update before applying it to your live site.

Q: Where can I find my installed plugin version?

In WordPress, open Plugins > Installed Plugins and find the version shown beneath the plugin name.

Published 18 Sept 2026

Updated 19 Sept 2026

CVE-2026-89093

Compare your installed software with the affected versions below. Follow the source’s remediation guidance and test an available update after taking a backup. A database entry describes a reported issue; it does not establish whether a particular website has been compromised.

Does this affect my version?

Check your installed version against this advisory. This compares the report’s version ranges and does not scan your website.

Wordfence advisory

medium · CVSS 5.3

The Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Information Exposure by Spoofing in all versions up to, and including, 2.15.33. This is due to the `is_ai_bot_user()` function identifying privileged internal AI bot accounts by performing a prefix check for `'ai-chat-bot-'` against a guest record's stored IP address, which is populated verbatim from the client-controlled `X-Real-IP` request header during unauthenticated guest registration. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to register a guest identity that the plugin treats as its own internal AI bot, bypassing the per-room role allowlist, draft-status check, and join filters — which are all short-circuited by the bot check in `user_can_join()` and `user_can_read()` — to join administrator-restricted chat rooms, post messages into them, and read the private message history of other users.

Severity vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots

Software: plugin · bp-better-messages
Affected versions: Start version unspecified, through 2.15.33
Fix availability: Fix available
Fixed versions: 3.0.0

Recommended action

Update to version 3.0.0, or a newer patched version

Further references (1)

wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/df28ecd7-d463-48b7-95e6-8adc9f34d6bd?source=api-prod

Data sources and licences

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CVE Usage: MITRE hereby grants you a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE®). Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE's copyright designation and this license in any such copy.

Read licence terms

Source: Wordfence

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Questions about this vulnerability

Which versions of Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots are affected?

Wordfence lists these affected versions: Start version unspecified, through 2.15.33. Use the version checker above to compare your installed release with this report.

Is a fix available for Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots?

Wordfence reports a fix for this issue in Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots. It lists these fixed versions: 3.0.0. Back up your website and test the recommended update before applying it to your live site.

Where can I find my installed plugin version?

In WordPress, open Plugins > Installed Plugins and find the version shown beneath the plugin name.

Does an affected version mean my website has been hacked?

An affected version means the installed release matches a vulnerability described in this report. It does not show whether anyone has exploited it on your website. The checker compares version numbers with stored reports; it does not inspect your website.

These reports cover at least one of the same plugins, themes or WordPress core. Check each report’s affected versions separately.

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