CVE-2026-5502 Missing authorization in Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution
Authenticated subscribers can manipulate course content structure due to missing authorization checks in Tutor LMS plugin.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2026-5502?
CVE-2026-5502 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in themeum Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution, published on 17 Apr 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
The Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized course content manipulation in versions up to and including 3.9.8. This is due to a missing authorization check in the tutor_update_course_content_order() function. The function only validates the nonce (CSRF protection) but does not verify whether the user has permission to manage course content. The can_user_manage() authorization check only executes when the 'content_parent' parameter is present in the request. When this parameter is omitted, the function proceeds directly to save_course_content_order() which manipulates the wp_posts table without any authorization validation. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with subscriber-level access and above to detach all lessons from any topic, move lessons between topics, and modify the menu_order of course content, effectively allowing them to disrupt the structure of any course on the site.
Weakness: CWE-862
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-5502?
How do I fix CVE-2026-5502?
No fix has been published for CVE-2026-5502 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Upgrade, and check permissions on every request on the server, not only in the interface. More about Missing authorization.
Is CVE-2026-5502 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-5502 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-wcw2-cv2c-x8cm.