Is CVE-2026-81285 exploited in the wild?

No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-81285 being exploited in the wild.

How severe is CVE-2026-81285?

High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.5, published 28 August 2026.

Which products and versions are affected?

WPMU DEV Smush Image Compression and Optimization <=4.2.0.

Is there a fix for CVE-2026-81285?

A patch was published on 2026: Fixed in version 4.3.0 Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

How is CVE-2026-81285 attacked?

It is attacked over the network, in a web application.

Am I affected by CVE-2026-81285?

Check whether you run WPMU DEV Smush Image Compression and Optimization at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

CVE-2026-81285: Smush Image Compression and Optimization unauthenticated denial of service

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2026-81285?

A patch was published on 2026: Fixed in version 4.3.0 Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

Q: How is CVE-2026-81285 attacked?

It is attacked over the network, in a web application.

Q: Am I affected by CVE-2026-81285?

Check whether you run WPMU DEV Smush Image Compression and Optimization at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

CVE-2026-81285 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.5 · Published 2026-08-28

Smush is a popular WordPress plugin for image optimization and compression. An unauthenticated attacker can trigger a denial of service condition, causing the affected website to become slow or go offline. This vulnerability affects versions 4.2.0 and earlier.

Vendors: WPMU DEV.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2026-81285 exploited in the wild?: No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-81285 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2026-81285?: High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.5, published 28 August 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?: WPMU DEV Smush Image Compression and Optimization <=4.2.0.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-81285?: A patch was published on 2026: Fixed in version 4.3.0 Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.
How is CVE-2026-81285 attacked?: It is attacked over the network, in a web application.
Am I affected by CVE-2026-81285?: Check whether you run WPMU DEV Smush Image Compression and Optimization at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

Technical details

The vulnerability is a denial of service flaw in Smush Image Compression and Optimization plugin versions 4.2.0 and earlier, classified as insecure design (OWASP A4). It requires no authentication and can be exploited over the network to overwhelm server resources. An attacker can trigger resource-intensive operations that degrade site performance or cause a complete outage. The vulnerability is fixed in version 4.3.0 and later.

Affected products

WPMU DEV Smush Image Compression and Optimization <=4.2.0

Timeline

2026-08-28: disclosed: Public disclosure via NVD
2026: patched: Fixed in version 4.3.0
2026-07-14: other: Vulnerability reported to vendor

References

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