CVE-2023-4278

MasterStudy LMS <= 3.0.17 - Privilege Escalation

2023-08-21 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 3.0.18
Affected Plugin: MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin – for Online Courses and Education
Affected Version: <= 3.0.17
CVSS: 7.3High
Weakness type: CWE-269 · Improper Privilege Management
CVE: CVE-2023-4278

View all MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin – for Online Courses and Education vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2023-4278 is a high-severity Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in the MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 3.0.17. It carries a CVSS score of 7.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 3.0.18; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed August 2023, reported by Revan Arifio.

Vulnerability Overview

The MasterStudy LMS plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to privilege escalation in versions up to, and including, 3.0.17. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to register on the site as instructors, which would enable them to create courses.

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 privileges on the target site, and no interaction from a victim user.

CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management

Reaching this weakness in MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin <= 3.0.17 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Improper privilege management means the code lets an account end up with capabilities its role should not have.

It converts a low-privileged account into an administrative one, which makes every other restriction on the site irrelevant. For MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin the fix is 3.0.18: builds <= 3.0.17 are affected, anything from 3.0.18 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 3.0.18, 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: MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin 3.0.18 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Login Security
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-4278 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/df00c8bc-8acd-4197-86fe-b88cb47d52c3 https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-4278

Related records

Same weakness class

Other vulnerabilities in MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin – for Online Courses and Education

CVSS Vector

7.3

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredNone
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityLow
IntegrityLow
AvailabilityLow

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