Skip to main content
VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2026-5821: The Image Optimizer plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file deletion in versions up to

Source GCVE Database

0
Authoritative record:CVE-2026-5821· High 8.1

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 8.1 High.

Data as of 28 Oct 2026, 05:11 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
8.1High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
0.6% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 51% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 2 Jul 2026

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponised: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq Mirage: no evidence on record.

    No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

What to do

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
elemntorImage Optimizer – Compress Images and Convert to WebP or AVIFAffected
  • <=1.7.4
Fixed in–

AI-suggested

Until a fix is available, restrict Author-level user permissions where possible and monitor for suspicious file deletion activities related to the plugin.

Description

The Image Optimizer plugin for WordPress versions up to and including 1.7.4 contains a vulnerability that allows authenticated users with Author-level access to delete arbitrary files on the server. This occurs because the plugin does not properly validate file paths before deletion, trusting user-controlled metadata. Exploitation can lead to denial of service, data loss, or security degradation.

References

Community reviews

Loading reviews…