CVE-2025-15521CWE-639

Academy LMS – WordPress LMS Plugin for Complete eLearning Solution <= 3.5.0 - Unauthenticated Privilege Escalation via Account Takeover

Critical · published January 21, 2026

CVSS v3.1
9.8
EPSS
0%
Percentile
34.4
In the wild
Unconfirmed
What it is

🚨 Wow, an unauthenticated attacker could reset any user's password—including admins—just by exploiting a nonce! This is a major oversight in the Academy LMS plugin for WordPress! 🔥 Think of it as a hotel where anyone can walk up to the front desk and request a new key for any room simply by saying the name—no ID check required! What a recipe for disaster! An attacker could seize control of any account, including those of administrators, leading to unauthorized access to sensitive data and settings. This could result in full chaos, from altering course materials to deleting crucial files—that’s an absolute nightmare for any educational institution!

Put simply

Think of it as a hotel where anyone can walk up to the front desk and request a new key for any room simply by saying the name—no ID check required! What a recipe for disaster! The vulnerability stems from the Academy LMS plugin not properly validating user identity before allowing password changes, relying solely on an exposed nonce for authorization. This gap opens the door wide for attackers to hijack accounts without any authentication.

What to do

An attacker could seize control of any account, including those of administrators, leading to unauthorized access to sensitive data and settings. This could result in full chaos, from altering course materials to deleting crucial files—that’s an absolute nightmare for any educational institution! Immediately update the Academy LMS plugin to version 3.5.1 or later. Ensure that password reset mechanisms implement proper user verification to prevent unauthorized changes. It's also wise to audit user permissions to safeguard against any potential misuse. 🔒 You've got this! Follow these steps to keep your systems secure and regain your hero status as a guardian of the internet! 🛡️

The record
Technical detail
CVSS v3.1
9.8 · CRITICAL
Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS v4.0
Not supplied
EPSS
0.00412 · 34.4th percentile
Weakness
CWE-639 · Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key
Published
2026-01-21T01:23Z
EPSS history
Timeline
  • 21 JAN 01:23Z
    Academy LMS – WordPress LMS Plugin for Complete eLearning Solution <= 3.5.0 - Unauthenticated Privilege Escalation via Account Takeover
    cvelistv5