Tutor LMS Post Takeover via Insecure Direct Object Reference

Executive Summary

CVE-2026-12274 is a vulnerability in the Tutor LMS WordPress plugin versions before 3.9.13. It is an Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR) flaw where the plugin does not properly verify if the requesting user has permission to edit a specific post before allowing the overwrite. Instead, it authorizes the request based on an unrelated identifier.

This flaw allows authenticated users with instructor-level access to overwrite and take over any post or page on the site, including those owned by administrators.

Useful 0 Not Useful 0

Detection Guidance

Detecting this vulnerability on your system requires checking if your WordPress site is running a vulnerable version of the Tutor LMS plugin (versions before 3.9.13). Since the vulnerability involves an Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR) flaw, manual or automated testing can help identify if unauthorized post overwrites are possible.

• Check the installed version of Tutor LMS: Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard, navigate to 'Plugins', and look for the Tutor LMS plugin. Verify if the version is prior to 3.9.13.
• Use WPScan to scan for the vulnerability: Run the following command to check for known vulnerabilities in your WordPress installation, including CVE-2026-12274: wpscan --url your-wordpress-site.com --enumerate vp.
• Manually test for unauthorized post overwrites (if authorized): As an instructor-level user, attempt to save or modify a post or page owned by another user (e.g., an administrator). If the plugin allows the overwrite without proper permission checks, the vulnerability is present.

Note: Manual testing should only be performed in a controlled environment with proper authorization, as exploiting this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized modifications.

Useful 0 Not Useful 0

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can have serious impacts as it allows users with instructor-level access to overwrite any post or page on the WordPress site, including those owned by administrators.

An attacker could use this to take over content, potentially deface the site, inject malicious content, or manipulate important pages, leading to loss of data integrity and trust.

Useful 0 Not Useful 0

Compliance Impact

The vulnerability CVE-2026-12274 allows authenticated users with instructor-level access to overwrite any post or page on the site, including those owned by administrators, due to improper access control.

This broken access control issue (classified under OWASP Top 10 A5 and CWE-639) could lead to unauthorized modification of content, which may result in data integrity and confidentiality risks.

Such unauthorized access and modification could potentially impact compliance with standards and regulations like GDPR and HIPAA, which require strict controls over data access and integrity to protect personal and sensitive information.

Useful 0 Not Useful 0

Mitigation Strategies

To mitigate this vulnerability, you should update the Tutor LMS WordPress plugin to version 3.9.13 or later, where the issue has been fixed.

This update ensures proper verification of user permissions before allowing edits to posts or pages, preventing unauthorized overwrites by instructor-level users.

Useful 0 Not Useful 0