CVE-2026-104755 WP Compress <= 7.25.00 - Unauthenticated Privilege Escalation to 'group'/'setting'/'value' Parameters on comms Endpoint
Unauthenticated attackers can escalate privileges to plugin administrator by exploiting missing authorization checks and API key leakage in WP Compress.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2026-104755?
CVE-2026-104755 is a medium-severity vulnerability in aresit WP Compress – Instant Performance & Speed Optimization, published on 16 Oct 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
The WP Compress – Instant Performance & Speed Optimization plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 7.25.00 The vulnerability exists because the `start_comms` dispatcher (`wps_ic_comms::start_comms`), hooked on every front-end request, gates access only by comparing the caller-supplied `apikey` parameter against the stored plugin API key with no WordPress capability check and no nonce verification, then passes the unvalidated `group`, `setting`, and `value` parameters directly to `change_setting()`, which writes them into the `WPS_IC_SETTINGS` option without an allow-list. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to write arbitrary permission keys into the plugin's settings, causing `wps_ic_users::checkAndAddCaps()` to grant any WordPress role — including Subscriber — the `manage_wpc_settings` capability and thereby achieve plugin-administrator-equivalent control over the plugin's optimization, CDN, and critical-CSS surfaces. The API key required to pass the authorization check can itself be obtained without authentication via the `wpc_send_critical_remote` nopriv AJAX action: when the external critical-CSS service returns an `apiResults` field, `initCritical()` echoes the stored plugin API key back to the caller in a `wp_send_json_success` response, completing the exploit chain entirely without a WordPress login.
Weakness: CWE-269
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-104755?
How do I fix CVE-2026-104755?
No fix has been published for CVE-2026-104755 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Is CVE-2026-104755 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-104755 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-869x-hw98-gf6f.