CVE-2026-81195 in MasterStudy LMS Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 09/02/2026
The MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin WordPress plugin before 3.7.46 does not perform an authorization check before returning per-student course enrollment and progress data, allowing unauthenticated attackers to disclose the enrolled courses and learning progress of any registered user.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/02/2026
The vulnerability identified in versions of the MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin prior to 3.7.46 represents a critical failure in access control mechanisms within the application's backend logic. This flaw specifically affects endpoints responsible for retrieving per-student course enrollment details and learning progress metrics. In a properly secured web application, any request that returns sensitive user-specific data must be preceded by rigorous authentication verification to confirm the identity of the requester, followed by authorization checks to ensure that the authenticated entity has permission to access the requested resource. The absence of these checks in this plugin allows for direct exploitation without requiring valid credentials or session tokens.
From a technical perspective, the core issue lies in the lack of server-side validation regarding user permissions when processing API requests related to student progress and enrollment status. An attacker can craft HTTP requests targeting specific endpoints associated with course data retrieval. Because the application does not verify that the requester is the owner of the account or an authorized administrator for that specific student record, it blindly processes the request based on parameters provided by the client side. This behavior effectively bypasses standard security controls designed to isolate user data from unauthorized parties. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which describes Improper Access Control, and falls under the MITRE ATT&CK technique T1078, Valid Accounts, although in this specific case, exploitation does not even require valid accounts due to the complete lack of authentication checks for certain data retrieval functions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant regarding user privacy and institutional integrity. Since MasterStudy LMS is often used by educational institutions, online course providers, and corporate training departments, it handles sensitive personal information including names, email addresses, learning histories, quiz scores, and completion rates. Unauthenticated attackers can enumerate enrolled courses for any registered user on the platform. This capability facilitates targeted phishing campaigns where adversaries use known enrollment data to craft highly convincing social engineering attacks. Furthermore, exposure of learning progress allows competitors or malicious actors to infer professional skills gaps or educational backgrounds of individuals, leading to potential reputational damage and loss of trust in the platform's security posture.
Mitigation strategies must focus on immediate remediation through software updates and supplementary hardening measures. The primary solution is to upgrade the MasterStudy LMS plugin to version 3.7.46 or later, where developers have implemented proper authorization checks to ensure that only authenticated users with appropriate permissions can access their own data. For organizations unable to update immediately due to compatibility constraints, implementing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule set to detect and block anomalous requests targeting student progress endpoints without valid session cookies is recommended as an interim measure. Additionally, administrators should review server logs for unusual patterns of bulk enrollment queries which may indicate active exploitation attempts. Regular security audits focusing on access control logic across all API endpoints are essential to prevent similar vulnerabilities from persisting in future updates or related plugins within the WordPress ecosystem.