The Academy LMS – AI Course Builder, Quizzes, Certificates & eLearning plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 4.0.3. This is due to the `add_child()` function calling `add_role('academy_student')` on any existing account resolved from the attacker-supplied `email` parameter before `Store::link()` validates the guardian-ward relationship, and failing to roll back that role write when `Store::link()` returns a `WP_Error`. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with the `academy_guardian` role or higher to elevate any existing WordPress account — including their own — to the `academy_student` role, gaining `edit_posts` (Contributor-equivalent) capabilities and, when the student file-upload setting is enabled, `upload_files` (Author-equivalent) capabilities not granted to the guardian role. When a guardian supplies their own email address, `email_exists()` resolves to their own user ID, causing `Store::link()` to reject the self-link, but because the `add_role()` call has already executed and is never reversed, the academy_student role grant on their own account persists permanently.
Metrics
Affected Vendors & Products
References
History
Tue, 20 Oct 2026 06:00:00 +0000
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Kodezen
Kodezen academy Lms Wordpress-extensions Wordpress-extensions academy Lms |
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Kodezen
Kodezen academy Lms Wordpress-extensions Wordpress-extensions academy Lms |
Sun, 11 Oct 2026 17:30:00 +0000
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ssvc
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Sat, 10 Oct 2026 02:45:00 +0000
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| Description | The Academy LMS – AI Course Builder, Quizzes, Certificates & eLearning plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 4.0.3. This is due to the `add_child()` function calling `add_role('academy_student')` on any existing account resolved from the attacker-supplied `email` parameter before `Store::link()` validates the guardian-ward relationship, and failing to roll back that role write when `Store::link()` returns a `WP_Error`. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with the `academy_guardian` role or higher to elevate any existing WordPress account — including their own — to the `academy_student` role, gaining `edit_posts` (Contributor-equivalent) capabilities and, when the student file-upload setting is enabled, `upload_files` (Author-equivalent) capabilities not granted to the guardian role. When a guardian supplies their own email address, `email_exists()` resolves to their own user ID, causing `Store::link()` to reject the self-link, but because the `add_role()` call has already executed and is never reversed, the academy_student role grant on their own account persists permanently. | |
| Title | Academy LMS <= 4.0.3 - Authenticated (Custom+) Privilege Escalation to add_child REST endpoint | |
| Weaknesses | CWE-269 | |
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| Metrics |
cvssV3_1
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Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: Wordfence
Published: 2026-10-10T02:26:31.622Z
Updated: 2026-10-11T16:55:20.564Z
Reserved: 2026-10-01T17:03:56.186Z
Link: CVE-2026-104022
Updated: 2026-10-11T16:46:31.631Z
Status : Deferred
Published: 2026-10-10T03:17:03.953
Modified: 2026-10-13T13:30:21.620
Link: CVE-2026-104022
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