CVE-2023-3133 in Tutor LMS Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 07/04/2023
The Tutor LMS WordPress plugin before 2.2.1 does not implement adequate permission checks for REST API endpoints, allowing unauthenticated attackers to access information from Lessons that should not be publicly available.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/23/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-3133 affects the Tutor LMS WordPress plugin version 2.2.0 and earlier, representing a critical access control flaw that undermines the security posture of educational platforms leveraging this plugin. This issue stems from insufficient authorization mechanisms within the plugin's REST API implementation, creating a pathway for unauthorized information disclosure. The vulnerability specifically targets Lesson content within the Tutor LMS framework, which typically contains sensitive educational materials, assessments, and student progress data that should remain restricted to authorized users only.
The technical flaw manifests in the plugin's failure to properly validate user permissions before exposing REST API endpoints that handle Lesson-related data. This absence of proper authentication checks allows any unauthenticated attacker to make direct API requests to retrieve Lesson information without requiring valid credentials or user authorization. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and specifically affects the REST API architecture, making it particularly dangerous as it bypasses traditional WordPress user authentication mechanisms. Attackers can exploit this weakness by directly querying the plugin's REST endpoints to obtain Lesson content, potentially including course materials, quiz questions, assignment details, and other sensitive educational resources that should remain private to enrolled students and instructors.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it can enable more sophisticated attacks targeting educational platforms and their users. Unauthorized access to Lesson content may facilitate content theft, intellectual property violations, and compromise of student privacy. In educational environments where sensitive learning materials, assessment data, and student performance information are stored, this vulnerability creates significant risks for both institutions and individual users. The exposure of such information can lead to academic dishonesty, unauthorized access to course materials, and potential data breaches that violate privacy regulations. The vulnerability affects the integrity of the learning management system by allowing unauthorized users to access content that should be restricted to authenticated participants.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-3133 primarily involve updating the Tutor LMS plugin to version 2.2.1 or later, which includes proper permission checks for REST API endpoints. Administrators should also implement additional security measures such as monitoring API access logs for suspicious activity and implementing rate limiting to prevent automated exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which describes inadequate access control, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential harvesting, as it enables unauthorized access to protected resources. Organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of their WordPress installations, particularly focusing on plugin security configurations and API endpoint access controls. Regular security audits and vulnerability scanning should be implemented to identify similar access control weaknesses in other plugins and themes. Additionally, implementing network-level protections such as web application firewalls and restricting API access based on IP addresses can provide additional defense-in-depth measures against exploitation attempts.