CVE-2024-35171
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Academy LMS WordPress plugin exposes sensitive information to unauthorized actors. It affects Academy LMS versions up to 1.9.25, allowing attackers to access data they shouldn't have permission to view. WordPress sites using vulnerable versions of this plugin are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Academy LMS WordPress Plugin
📦 What is this software?
Academy Lms by Kodezen
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could access sensitive user data, course materials, or administrative information, potentially leading to data breaches, privacy violations, or intellectual property theft.
Likely Case
Unauthorized access to user information, course content, or other sensitive data stored within the LMS system.
If Mitigated
Limited exposure with proper access controls and monitoring, but still represents an information disclosure risk.
🎯 Exploit Status
CWE-200 vulnerabilities typically involve straightforward information disclosure without complex exploitation requirements.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.9.26 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/academy/wordpress-academy-lms-plugin-1-9-25-sensitive-data-exposure-vulnerability
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel
2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
3. Find Academy LMS plugin
4. Click 'Update Now' if update is available
5. Alternatively, download version 1.9.26+ from WordPress repository and manually update
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Plugin
allTemporarily disable the Academy LMS plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate academy
Restrict Access
allImplement IP whitelisting or firewall rules to restrict access to affected endpoints
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls and monitoring for sensitive data access patterns
- Consider migrating to alternative LMS solutions if patching is not feasible
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress plugin version in admin panel or via wp cli: wp plugin get academy --field=versionCheck Version:
wp plugin get academy --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is 1.9.26 or higher and test sensitive data endpoints for proper access controls📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual access patterns to Academy LMS endpoints
- Multiple failed authentication attempts followed by successful data access
- Access to sensitive data endpoints from unexpected IP addresses
Network Indicators:
- Unusual traffic to Academy LMS API endpoints
- Data exfiltration patterns from LMS-related URLs
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("academy" OR "lms") AND (status=200 OR status=302) AND (uri CONTAINS "/api/" OR uri CONTAINS "/data/")