WordPress security changelog
HIGH CVE-2026-5032 Deferred

W3 Total Cache: Code execution

W3 Total Cache is affected by code execution. The vulnerable path is reachable without authentication. Successful exploitation can run attacker-controlled code in the WordPress hosting account. The published affected range is <= 2.9.3.

CVE / CNA score 7.5 CVSS 3.1 · security@wordfence.com
NVD score Pending NVD has not published its own CVSS assessment.
Component
W3 Total Cache
Plugin slug
w3-total-cache
Affected
<= 2.9.3
Safe version
> 2.9.3
Published
Apr 02, 2026
Weakness
CWE-200 — Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor

This CVE was published Apr 02, 2026 and is one of 19 known issues for this plugin.

What to do

Update, patch or deactivate.

Update W3 Total Cache to a release after 2.9.3, or disable and remove it until a fixed version is available.

A safe version is available, so updating to that version or later is the preferred remediation. If an immediate update is not practical, consider a targeted application patch or temporarily restricting the affected functionality.

Deactivate only when warranted by your risk profile, or when advised by your hosting provider in the limited circumstances where the vulnerability cannot otherwise be mitigated. If you’re unsure which action is appropriate, contact Fused or your hosting provider for guidance.

Source record

Technical description

The W3 Total Cache plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to information exposure in all versions up to, and including, 2.9.3. This is due to the plugin bypassing its entire output buffering and processing pipeline when the request's User-Agent header contains "W3 Total Cache", which causes raw mfunc/mclude dynamic fragment HTML comments — including the W3TC_DYNAMIC_SECURITY security token — to be rendered in the page source. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to discover the value of the W3TC_DYNAMIC_SECURITY constant by sending a crafted User-Agent header to any page that contains developer-placed dynamic fragment tags, granted the site has the fragment caching feature enabled. With the leaked W3TC_DYNAMIC_SECURITY token, an attacker can craft valid mfunc tags to execute arbitrary PHP code on the server, achieving remote code execution.

CVE / CNA vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

References

Primary and upstream sources