Cybersecurity professionals consider CVE-2026-9860 an immediate threat requiring urgent mitigation.
Status: Received on 18 Jun 2026, 06:16 UTC
Published on: 18 Jun 2026, 06:16 UTC
CVSS Release: version 3
security@wordfence.com
Primary
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVE-2026-9860: The Offload, AI & Optimize with Cloudflare Images plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Remote Code Execution in all versions up to, and including, 1.10.2 via the 'account-id' parameter parameter. This is due to insufficient privilege enforcement on the cf_images_do_setup AJAX handler, which requires only the upload_files capability (Author+) rather than manage_options before writing to wp-config.php, combined with the absence of single-quote escaping — sanitize_text_field() does not strip single quotes, and filter_input(INPUT_POST) bypasses wp_magic_quotes() slashing — allowing a single quote in the account-id or api-key parameter to break out of the single-quoted PHP string literal in the write_config() define() statement. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with author-level access and above, to execute code on the server. This is possible because the 'cf-images-nonce' nonce required by the AJAX handler is exposed to all Author-level and above users on wp-admin/upload.php via the CFImages JavaScript object, meaning any upload-capable user can satisfy the nonce check and reach the vulnerable wp-config.php write path.
The exploitability of CVE-2026-9860 depends on two key factors: attack complexity (the level of effort required to execute an exploit) and privileges required (the access level an attacker needs).
CVE-2026-9860 presents an accessible attack vector with minimal effort required. Restricting access controls and implementing security updates are critical to reducing exploitation risks.
A lower complexity and fewer privilege requirements make exploitation easier. Security teams should evaluate these aspects to determine the urgency of mitigation strategies, such as patch management and access control policies.
Attack Complexity (AC) measures the difficulty in executing an exploit. A high AC means that specific conditions must be met, making an attack more challenging, while a low AC means the vulnerability can be exploited with minimal effort.
Privileges Required (PR) determine the level of system access necessary for an attack. Vulnerabilities requiring no privileges are more accessible to attackers, whereas high privilege requirements limit exploitation to authorized users with elevated access.
Above is the CVSS Sub-score Breakdown for CVE-2026-9860, illustrating how Base, Impact, and Exploitability factors combine to form the overall severity rating. A higher sub-score typically indicates a more severe or easier-to-exploit vulnerability.
Below is the Impact Analysis for CVE-2026-9860, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.
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