# CVE-2026-2712: Missing authorization in WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance

> Authenticated subscribers can bypass authorization checks to modify plugin settings, delete backups, and read logs via the heartbeat handler.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.4 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 10 Apr 2026
- **Updated:** 10 Apr 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-v86m-gg8v-4873

## What is CVE-2026-2712?

CVE-2026-2712 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in davidanderson WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance, published on 10 Apr 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The WP-Optimize plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized access of functionality due to missing capability checks in the `receive_heartbeat()` function in `includes/class-wp-optimize-heartbeat.php` in all versions up to, and including, 4.5.0. This is due to the Heartbeat handler directly invoking `Updraft_Smush_Manager_Commands` methods without verifying user capabilities, nonce tokens, or the allowed commands whitelist that the normal AJAX handler (`updraft_smush_ajax`) enforces. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to invoke admin-only Smush operations including reading log files (`get_smush_logs`), deleting all backup images (`clean_all_backup_images`), triggering bulk image processing (`process_bulk_smush`), and modifying Smush options (`update_smush_options`).

Weakness: CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-2712?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-2712?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-2712 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-2712 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-2712 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-2712 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-2712 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in davidanderson WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance, published on 10 Apr 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-2712 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: davidanderson WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance. 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-2026-2712/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-2712/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-2712
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-2712
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-2712

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-2712/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.