CVSS Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L
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3Tags
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`).
Analysis
WP-Optimize plugin for WordPress allows authenticated subscribers and higher to execute admin-only operations including log file access, backup image deletion, and bulk image processing due to missing capability checks in the Heartbeat handler function. The vulnerability affects all versions up to 4.5.0 and requires user authentication but no elevated privileges, enabling privilege escalation from subscriber-level accounts to perform administrative image optimization tasks that should be restricted to site administrators.
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External POC / Exploit Code
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EUVD-2026-21254