WP Courses LMS <= 3.2.3 - Missing Authorization to Authenticated (Subscriber+) Arbitrary Options Update

2023-11-14 00:00
Anonymous

At a glance

This record tracks a high-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the WP Courses LMS WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 3.2.3. It carries a CVSS score of 8.8 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Subscriber level or above. The issue is fixed in version 3.2.4; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed November 2023.

Vulnerability Overview

The WP Courses LMS – Online Courses Builder, eLearning Courses, Courses Solution, Education Courses plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to missing capability check on the wpc_save_fe_option() function hooked via AJAX in all versions up to, and including, 3.2.3. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to update arbitrary options which can be used to achieve privilege escalation on most instances.

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. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality, integrity, availability — full site compromise territory.

CWE-862: Missing Authorization

WP Courses LMS <= 3.2.3 carries this weakness at wpc_save_fe_option(), and reaching it takes an account at Subscriber level or above. A missing authorization check means a function is reachable by anyone who can reach the endpoint, because the code never asks whether the caller is allowed to perform the action.

Any user who can reach the endpoint gets to run an action reserved for higher-privileged roles, from reading protected data to changing settings or content. For WP Courses LMS the fix is 3.2.4: builds <= 3.2.3 are affected, anything from 3.2.4 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 3.2.4, 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: WP Courses LMS 3.2.4 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

Related records

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