CVE-2026-56066

ShortPixel Adaptive Images – WebP, AVIF, CDN, Image Optimization <= 3.11.4 - Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Deletion

2026-06-25 00:00
Ananda Dhakal

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 3.11.5
Affected Plugin
ShortPixel Adaptive Images – WebP, AVIF, CDN, Image Optimization
Affected Version
<= 3.11.4
CVSS
5.3Medium
Weakness type
CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
CVE
CVE-2026-56066
View all ShortPixel Adaptive Images – WebP, AVIF, CDN, Image Optimization vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2026-56066 is a medium-severity Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the ShortPixel Adaptive Images WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 3.11.4. It carries a CVSS score of 5.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 3.11.5; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed June 2026, reported by Ananda Dhakal.

Vulnerability Overview

The ShortPixel Adaptive Images – WebP, AVIF, CDN, Image Optimization plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file deletion due to insufficient file path validation in all versions up to, and including, 3.11.4. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to delete arbitrary files on the server, which can easily lead to remote code execution when the right file is deleted (such as wp-config.php).

Technical Analysis

The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, with low attack complexity — no special timing or configuration is needed, and no privileges on the target site, and no interaction from a victim user.

CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')

Reaching this weakness in ShortPixel Adaptive Images <= 3.11.4 takes no account at all. Path traversal happens when user-controlled text is used to build a filesystem path without being constrained to an intended directory, so sequences like ../ walk the resolved path somewhere else.

Depending on the operation, it means reading files outside the intended folder — wp-config.php being the usual target — or writing to and deleting paths the web server can touch. For ShortPixel Adaptive Images the fix is 3.11.5: builds <= 3.11.4 are affected, anything from 3.11.5 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 3.11.5, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

Requests carrying this pattern arrive without a session, so nothing upstream of the firewall gets a chance to reject them: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: ShortPixel Adaptive Images 3.11.5 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Firewall
  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-56066https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/d6e87973-6001-439b-aef8-805ba4275d27https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-56066

Related records

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