CVE-2026-81652 WordPress.org CVE debrief

Who should care

Site administrators and users with Contributor role and above should assess exposure of image metadata to unauthorized users. They should verify plugin version and restrict access to prevent potential unauthorized access to sensitive information. Security teams and vulnerability management teams should also review the vulnerability and implement necessary mitigations.

Why it matters

The vulnerability allows users with Contributor role and above to read image metadata, including EXIF subset, internal checksums, and identifiers, without proper authorization.

• Potential unauthorized access to image metadata
• Possible exposure of sensitive information such as camera make and model and capture timestamp

Technical summary

The Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and WordPress plugin before 4.5.0 does not verify that the requesting user is entitled to a given image record before returning it, allowing users with the Contributor role and above to read the stored metadata of any image on the site, including images in galleries belonging to other users. This vulnerability enables unauthorized access to image metadata, potentially exposing sensitive information such as camera make and model and capture timestamp. The issue arises from inadequate access control checks within the plugin.

Defensive priority

Assess exposure of image metadata to unauthorized users with Contributor role and above; verify plugin version and restrict access.

Recommended defensive actions

• Assess exposure of image metadata to unauthorized users with Contributor role and above
• Verify plugin version and restrict access
• Restrict access to image metadata based on user roles
• Review compensating controls for exposed systems while remediation is scheduled and verified
• Check relevant monitoring, detection, and logs for exposed assets that need extra review
• Track exceptions, retest remediated assets, and close the item only after evidence is documented
• Confirm whether affected product deployments exist in managed environments and assign an owner for follow-up

Evidence notes

The vulnerability allows users with Contributor role and above to read image metadata, including EXIF subset, internal checksums, and identifiers, without proper authorization. The Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and WordPress plugin before 4.5.0 does not verify that the requesting user is entitled to a given image record before returning it. Evidence is based on source-provided CVE metadata and limited to public information.

Sources and references

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.