# CVE-2026-16563: Academy LMS < 3.8.3 - Subscriber+ Arbitrary Lesson Content Disclosure via lessons REST Endpoint

> Subscribers can access arbitrary lesson content, including paid and unpublished lessons, due to missing authorization checks in the REST API.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 3 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 3 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-9988-37r6-j7j6

## What is CVE-2026-16563?

CVE-2026-16563 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Unknown Academy LMS, published on 3 Aug 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The Academy LMS WordPress plugin before 3.8.3 does not verify course enrollment or lesson publication status when returning a single lesson through its REST API, allowing users with a self-service student (Subscriber-level) account to disclose the content of arbitrary lessons, including lessons of paid courses they are not enrolled in and unpublished (draft, pending, private) lessons.

Weakness: CWE-284 (Improper Access Control)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-16563?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-16563?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-16563 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-16563 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-16563 exists.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-16563 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-16563 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Unknown Academy LMS, published on 3 Aug 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-16563 exists.

Affected product: Unknown Academy LMS. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-16563/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-16563/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-16563
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-16563
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-16563

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-16563/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.