CVE-2026-120551
Deferred Deferred - Pending Action

Authorization Bypass in WP Compress WordPress Plugin

Vulnerability report for CVE-2026-120551, including description, CVSS score, EPSS score, affected products, exploitability, helpful resources, and attack-flow context.

Publication date: 2026-11-03

Last updated on: 2026-11-03

Assigner: Wordfence

Description

The WP Compress – Instant Performance & Speed Optimization plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authorization bypass in all versions up to, and including, 7.22.01. This is due to the plugin not properly verifying that a user is authorized to perform an action. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to link the victim site to an attacker-controlled WP Compress account, overwrite plugin settings to an aggressive live-CDN preset, and gain the shared api_key that authenticates all nopriv HMAC-gated endpoints β€” enabling full control over cache purging, file deletion, opcode cache invalidation, and other privileged plugin operations. This vulnerability only affects fresh installations or lite/free-mode installs where no api_key is already stored, as the sole guard fails open when the stored key is absent.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-11-03
Last Modified
2026-11-03
Generated
2026-11-03
AI Q&A
2026-11-03
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-862 The product does not perform an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action.

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Executive Summary

The WP Compress plugin for WordPress has an authorization bypass flaw in versions up to 7.22.01. Unauthenticated attackers can exploit this to link a victim site to an attacker-controlled WP Compress account, overwrite plugin settings to an aggressive live-CDN preset, and gain access to the shared api_key. This api_key allows control over cache purging, file deletion, and other privileged operations. The vulnerability only affects fresh or lite/free-mode installations without an existing api_key.

Impact Analysis

Unauthenticated attackers could gain control over your WordPress site's cache, files, and settings. They might delete critical files, purge cached content disrupting site performance, or invalidate opcode caches causing downtime. Attackers could also link your site to their account, enabling further attacks.

Mitigation Strategies

Update the WP Compress plugin to the latest version beyond 7.22.01 to ensure the authorization bypass issue is patched.

If you are using a fresh installation or lite/free-mode, revoke any unauthorized WP Compress account links and reset the api_key to prevent unauthorized access.

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