CVE-2026-14184

Academy LMS <= 3.8.0 - Insecure Direct Object Reference to Authenticated (Subscriber+) Note/Progress Modification

2026-06-30 00:00
Mustafa Ahmed

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 3.8.1
Affected Plugin
Academy LMS
Affected Version
<= 3.8.0
CVSS
4.3Medium
Weakness type
CWE-639 · Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key
CVE
CVE-2026-14184
View all Academy LMS vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2026-14184 is a medium-severity Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key vulnerability in the Academy LMS WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 3.8.0. It carries a CVSS score of 4.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Subscriber level or above. The issue is fixed in version 3.8.1; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed June 2026, reported by Mustafa Ahmed.

Vulnerability Overview

The Academy LMS plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Insecure Direct Object Reference in all versions up to, and including, 3.8.0 due to missing validation on a user controlled key. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to modify other user's notes and progress.

Technical Analysis

The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, with low attack complexity — no special timing or configuration is needed, and no interaction from a victim user.

CWE-639: Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key

Reaching this weakness in Academy LMS <= 3.8.0 takes an account at Subscriber level or above. Authorization bypass through a user-controlled key, often called insecure direct object reference, means the application looks up a record by an identifier from the request without checking that the caller owns it.

Changing a number in the request is enough to read or modify other users' records, which on commerce and membership sites means customer data. For Academy LMS the fix is 3.8.1: builds <= 3.8.0 are affected, anything from 3.8.1 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 3.8.1, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

Because it turns on account access, WordSec's login security is the relevant layer: role-based two-factor, captcha and brute-force limits raise the cost of getting the account this needs. None of that substitutes for the fix: Academy LMS 3.8.1 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-14184https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/996b2671-be25-4821-b0b8-b88f0ed112bchttps://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-14184

Related records

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