CVE-2026-104022
Academy LMS <= 4.0.3 - Authenticated (Custom+) Privilege Escalation to add_child REST endpoint
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.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- Low
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
5.4
Academy LMS <= 4.0.3 - Authenticated (Custom+) Privilege Escalation to add_child REST endpoint
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.
- Record
CVE-2026-104022- CVSS 3.1
- 5.4 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-269
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2026-96029
5.4
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.
- Record
EUVD-2026-96029- CVSS 3.1
- 5.4 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-vxgf-qvq7-h87v
5.4
The Academy LMS – AI Course Builder, Quizzes, Certificates & eLearning plugin for WordPress is...
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.
- Record
GHSA-vxgf-qvq7-h87v- CVSS 3.1
- 5.4 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-269
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
5.4
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.
- Record
CVE-2026-104022- CVSS 3.1
- 5.4 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-269
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| first indexed | CVE List, EUVD, GitHub Advisories, NVD |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2026-104022 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 5.4) in Kodezen Academy Lms – Ai Course Builder, Quizzes, Certificates & Elearning, published October 10, 2026. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.12%, the 2nd percentile. No source names a fixed version.
References
wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/a54dd9e5-59e7-4655-9f64-e198deda1383?source=cve
plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/academy/tags/4.0.2/includes/guardian/rest-api.php
plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/academy/tags/4.0.2/includes/guardian/store.php
plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?reponame=&old=3734598%40academy&new=3734598%40academy
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-104022
github.com/advisories/GHSA-vxgf-qvq7-h87v