Unsafe Deserialization in Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution (WordPress plugin) (CVE-2026-78175)
Summary
Vulnerability in Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution (WordPress plugin) (CVE-2026-78175). Successful exploitation can lead to full system takeover. Exploitable via withdraw_method_field.
Original description
The description as published by the source.
The Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 4.0.7 via the withdraw_method_field parameter of the tutor_save_withdraw_account AJAX handler. This is due to the handler lacking any capability or role check, relying solely on a nonce, while also passing attacker-supplied values through esc_sql(), which replaces every % character with a 66-byte HMAC placeholder token before the data is serialized and stored via update_user_meta(); when the meta is later retrieved, the placeholder is collapsed back to a single %, leaving serialized string length declarations 65 bytes greater than the actual content, and because array keys originate from entirely unescaped POST field names, unserialize() over-reads into attacker-controlled bytes, allowing injection of an arbitrary serialized object stream. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to achieve remote code execution on the server by triggering the GuzzleHttp\Cookie\FileCookieJar POP chain, reachable via the spl_autoload_register loader in TUTOR\RestAPI which loads the plugin's own bundled PayPal Composer autoloader, writing attacker-controlled content to an attacker-specified filename. This has an unauthenticated pathway when user registration is enabled, which is common for students and teachers to register, and it requires the monetization feature to be enabled…
Source: NIST National Vulnerability Database NVD GitHub Advisory
Auto-generated summary
Assembled by SecPulse from the source data (CVSS, CWE, affected versions) using templates — no AI involved. Check the original description and references below for exact details.
A vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-78175 has been found in Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution (WordPress plugin).
Attackers can target a specific entry point like withdraw_method_field over the network to misuse the product.
Successful exploitation can lead to full system takeover. CVSS score: 8.8/10.
What to do: apply the vendor's official patched release.
If unsure, ask your IT team or search "Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution (WordPress plugin) CVE-2026-78175" on the vendor's site.
CVE-2026-78175 (Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution (WordPress plugin)) — CWE-502 / CVSS v3 8.8
Attack vector: remote (network-reachable) / no user interaction
Attack surface: withdraw_method_field / tutor_save_withdraw_account / spl_autoload_register
Plan: 1) Audit SBOM/dependencies, 2) Stage→prod upgrade, 3) Add WAF/proxy monitoring on affected endpoints, 4) Hunt IOCs in logs.
Refs: see the GHSA / vendor advisory / patched release linked on this page.
Unsafe deserialization (CWE-502) exists in Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution (WordPress plugin). Attackers reach the vulnerable code path via withdraw_method_field.
Check the vendor advisory for the affected versions of Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution (WordPress plugin). Attack surface: withdraw_method_field / tutor_save_withdraw_account / spl_autoload_register.
Severity: High (CVSS 8.8/10). Successful exploitation can lead to full system takeover.
Update to the patched release per vendor advisory.
Until the patch is applied: disable the affected feature, apply WAF rules, or restrict access via network ACLs.
Search webserver/proxy logs for unusual request patterns matching this CVE's known IOCs. Audit SBOM/dependencies to find affected services.
Response actions
Concrete steps and command examples for SOC/SRE teams to execute in order
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1Identify exposure identify
Audit SBOM/dependencies for affected components.資産台帳・SBOM・依存マニフェストで Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution (WordPress plugin) を使っているサービスとバージョンを洗い出す。
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2Post-deployment verification verify
Confirm patched version is live in productionパッチ適用後、ステージングで PoC または同等の悪用パターンを再現して脆弱性が閉じたことを確認。本番ではアクセスログ・WAF でアラート再発が無いか継続監視。