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.
History

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 06:00:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Kodezen
Kodezen academy Lms
Wordpress-extensions
Wordpress-extensions academy Lms
Vendors & Products Kodezen
Kodezen academy Lms
Wordpress-extensions
Wordpress-extensions academy Lms

Sun, 11 Oct 2026 17:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'partial'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}


Sat, 10 Oct 2026 02:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
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
References
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 5.4, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N'}


cve-icon MITRE

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

cve-icon Vulnrichment

Updated: 2026-10-11T16:46:31.631Z

cve-icon NVD

Status : Deferred

Published: 2026-10-10T03:17:03.953

Modified: 2026-10-13T13:30:21.620

Link: CVE-2026-104022

cve-icon Redhat

No data.