CVE-2024-2106 in MasterStudy LMS Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 03/13/2024
The MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin – for Online Courses and Education plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Information Exposure in versions up to, and including, 3.2.10. This can allow unauthenticated attackers to extract sensitive data including all registered user's username and email addresses which can be used to help perform future attacks.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/13/2026
The MasterStudy LMS WordPress plugin represents a widely used educational platform that enables institutions to create and manage online courses within WordPress environments. This particular vulnerability affects versions up to and including 3.2.10, where the plugin fails to properly implement access controls for sensitive data exposure. The flaw exists in the plugin's handling of user data retrieval mechanisms, specifically in endpoints that should require authentication or proper authorization before returning user information. This represents a critical security oversight that undermines the fundamental principle of least privilege and data protection within web applications.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and access control mechanisms within the plugin's API endpoints. Attackers can exploit this weakness by directly accessing specific URLs or endpoints that expose user registration data without requiring any authentication credentials. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which addresses information exposure through improper access control mechanisms. The flaw essentially allows unauthenticated remote attackers to enumerate user accounts and extract username and email address information from the WordPress database through crafted requests. This type of vulnerability demonstrates poor security design practices where sensitive data is exposed through publicly accessible interfaces without proper authorization checks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, creating significant risks for both individual users and organizations relying on the platform. Attackers can leverage the exposed user data to conduct targeted phishing campaigns, credential stuffing attacks, or social engineering operations. The exposure of email addresses and usernames provides attackers with valuable intelligence for planning more sophisticated attacks. This vulnerability particularly affects educational institutions and online learning platforms where user privacy is paramount, as it compromises the confidentiality of user registration data. The risk is amplified when considering that this vulnerability affects unauthenticated access, meaning any attacker with knowledge of the plugin's endpoint structure can exploit it without requiring valid credentials.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate plugin updates to versions that address the access control flaws. Organizations should implement network-level restrictions to limit access to plugin endpoints and consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block malicious requests. Regular security audits of WordPress plugins should include thorough examination of API endpoint access controls and data exposure mechanisms. The vulnerability highlights the importance of following security best practices such as implementing proper authentication requirements for all data retrieval operations and conducting regular security testing of web applications. Additionally, administrators should monitor for unusual access patterns and implement logging mechanisms to detect potential exploitation attempts. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical need for robust access control implementation in educational technology platforms where user data protection is essential for maintaining trust and compliance with privacy regulations.