CVE-2026-27983 in LMS Elementor Pro Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 03/05/2026
Incorrect Privilege Assignment vulnerability in designthemes LMS Elementor Pro lms-elementor-pro allows Privilege Escalation.This issue affects LMS Elementor Pro: from n/a through <= 1.0.4.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/07/2026
The CVE-2026-27983 vulnerability represents a critical privilege assignment flaw within the designthemes LMS Elementor Pro plugin, specifically impacting versions through 1.0.4. This vulnerability resides in the core privilege management system of the plugin, where improper access control mechanisms allow unauthorized users to escalate their privileges within the WordPress environment. The flaw stems from inadequate validation of user roles and capabilities during critical administrative operations, creating a pathway for attackers to gain elevated permissions without proper authentication or authorization.
This vulnerability operates at the intersection of privilege escalation and access control failure, manifesting as an incorrect privilege assignment that permits malicious actors to assume higher-level roles within the LMS platform. The technical implementation appears to lack proper capability checks during privilege modification operations, allowing users with minimal permissions to manipulate access control lists or directly modify user role assignments. The issue is particularly concerning as it affects the fundamental security architecture of the learning management system plugin, potentially enabling attackers to gain administrative control over entire learning environments.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, creating significant risks for educational institutions and organizations relying on the Elementor Pro LMS for their digital learning platforms. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability could gain access to sensitive student data, modify course content, manipulate grades, or even take complete control of the WordPress installation. The vulnerability's persistence across multiple versions indicates a systemic flaw in the plugin's security design rather than a one-time coding error, suggesting that organizations using affected versions face prolonged exposure to this risk without proper patching.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-276, which addresses incorrect privilege assignment in software systems. The flaw demonstrates poor security implementation practices where the plugin fails to properly validate user capabilities before executing privilege modification operations. Organizations should consider this vulnerability in their threat modeling exercises, particularly when assessing the security posture of their learning management systems. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a privilege escalation technique, specifically under T1068, where adversaries leverage weaknesses in access control to gain higher-level permissions within target systems.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate patching to versions that address the privilege assignment flaw, as well as implementing additional security controls such as role-based access restrictions, regular privilege audits, and monitoring for unauthorized access attempts. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block exploitation attempts targeting this vulnerability. The vulnerability underscores the importance of proper security testing during plugin development and highlights the need for comprehensive access control validation in all administrative functions of learning management systems.