CVE-2026-12275 in Tutor LMS Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 07/13/2026
The Tutor LMS WordPress plugin before 3.9.13 does not, in its Droip and Kirki page-builder integration, perform the enrollment, purchase, and private-course capability checks it enforces in its core course handler, allowing authenticated users with subscriber-level access to enroll in paid or private courses without authorization, read private course content, and mark arbitrary courses as completed, on sites where the Droip or Kirki integration is active.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/13/2026
The vulnerability identified in Tutor LMS WordPress plugin versions prior to 3.9.13 represents a critical access control flaw that undermines the core security model of the learning management system. This issue specifically affects sites utilizing the Droip and Kirki page-builder integrations, where the plugin fails to enforce the same authorization checks that are rigorously applied in its primary course handling mechanisms. The flaw stems from inconsistent privilege validation between different integration pathways within the plugin architecture, creating a dangerous gap in the security perimeter that allows unauthorized access to premium educational content.
The technical nature of this vulnerability manifests as a capability bypass through which authenticated users with minimal subscriber-level permissions can circumvent the normal enrollment and access restrictions imposed by the platform. When the Droip or Kirki integration is active, the plugin does not validate whether users have proper authorization to access paid courses, private materials, or complete course modules that they should not be permitted to access. This represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege and demonstrates poor input validation and access control implementation patterns that align with CWE-285: Improper Authorization.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple unauthorized access, as it enables users to manipulate course completion status for arbitrary modules within the system. Attackers can not only view private course content but also mark courses as completed, potentially undermining the integrity of learning progress tracking and certification systems. This capability allows malicious actors to gain unauthorized educational achievements while simultaneously accessing premium content that would normally require payment or specific enrollment permissions. The vulnerability affects the entire user experience ecosystem by enabling privilege escalation through legitimate plugin integrations.
Organizations deploying Tutor LMS with these integrations face significant security risks including potential data leakage of proprietary course materials, unauthorized access to paid educational resources, and manipulation of user progress tracking systems. The attack surface expands beyond traditional security boundaries as users who should have limited access can exploit this flaw to gain unauthorized privileges within the platform. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1078.004: Valid Accounts - Cloud Accounts, where legitimate but unprivileged accounts are leveraged to access restricted resources through application-level flaws rather than direct credential compromise.
The recommended mitigation strategy involves immediate upgrade to Tutor LMS version 3.9.13 or later, which addresses the inconsistent authorization checks across different integration pathways. Administrators should also implement additional monitoring of course enrollment and completion activities to detect anomalous behavior patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Security hardening measures including regular plugin updates, proper access control configuration, and network segmentation around educational platforms can further reduce the risk exposure. Organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of their WordPress environments to identify other potential vulnerabilities in similar third-party integrations that might exhibit similar authorization bypass behaviors.
The vulnerability highlights critical gaps in security testing methodologies for WordPress plugins, particularly regarding integration points between core functionality and third-party components. It demonstrates how seemingly minor implementation differences in access control checks can create significant security weaknesses that undermine the entire platform's security posture. This issue reinforces the importance of comprehensive security testing across all plugin integration pathways and proper authorization validation at every access point within complex web applications.