# 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.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 16 Oct 2026
- **Updated:** 16 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-869x-hw98-gf6f

## 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 (Improper Privilege Management)

## 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.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-104755 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: 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.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-104755 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: aresit WP Compress – Instant Performance & Speed Optimization. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-104755/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-104755/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-104755
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-104755
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-104755

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-104755/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.