CVE-2026-3371

Tutor LMS <= 3.9.7 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Insecure Direct Object Reference to Arbitrary Course Content Modification

2026-04-10 12:00
Hunter Jensen (skid)

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 3.9.8
Affected Version
<= 3.9.7
CVSS
4.3Medium
Weakness type
CWE-639 · Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key
CVE
CVE-2026-3371
View all Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2026-3371 is a medium-severity Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key vulnerability in the Tutor LMS WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 3.9.7. 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 3.9.8; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed April 2026, reported by Hunter Jensen (skid).

Vulnerability Overview

The Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Insecure Direct Object Reference in all versions up to, and including, 3.9.7. This is due to missing authorization checks in the `save_course_content_order()` private method, which is called unconditionally by the `tutor_update_course_content_order` AJAX handler. While the handler's `content_parent` branch includes a `can_user_manage()` check, the `save_course_content_order()` call processes attacker-supplied `tutor_topics_lessons_sorting` JSON without any ownership or capability verification. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with Subscriber-level access or above to detach lessons from topics, reorder course content, and reassign lessons between topics in any course, including admin-owned courses, by sending a crafted AJAX request with manipulated topic and lesson IDs.

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

Tutor LMS <= 3.9.7 carries this weakness at save_course_content_order(), and reaching it 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 Tutor LMS the fix is 3.9.8: builds <= 3.9.7 are affected, anything from 3.9.8 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 3.9.8, 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: Tutor LMS 3.9.8 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

Related records

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