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TutorStarter Theme EUVDEUVD-2026-94828

| CVE-2026-104671 MEDIUM
Missing Authorization (CWE-862)
2026-10-08 WPScan GHSA-f66r-cp58-ph5f
5.3
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: WPScan
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Identify site using TutorStarter theme
  2. Delivery
    Send crafted request to AJAX registration handler
  3. Exploit
    Handler ignores disabled-registration setting
  4. Execution
    Unauthorized WordPress account created
  5. Impact
    Abuse account for spam or foothold

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Authorization checks on every request
MITRE ATT&CK

1 technique across 1 tactic: Privilege Escalation

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires that the target site runs the TutorStarter WordPress theme at a version before 4.0.4 and that it exposes the specific vulnerable AJAX registration handler (reachable via wp-admin/admin-ajax.php). The notable condition is that the flaw manifests precisely because the handler does NOT honor the site's 'Anyone can register' (users_can_register) setting - so it is exploitable even on sites that have DISABLED registration, which is the configuration administrators would otherwise rely on as a defense. Limiting factors: impact is confined to creating accounts at WordPress's default registration role (typically low-privilege subscriber), there is no authentication bypass to higher roles and no confidentiality or availability impact; exploitation is only possible while the vulnerable theme version is active.

Impact

This is a low-to-moderate priority issue despite the 'network/unauthenticated' profile. The provided CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N = 5.3 Medium) is internally consistent with the description: a remote, unauthenticated visitor can reach an AJAX endpoint with low complexity, no privileges, and no user interaction, but the only impact is Integrity-Low (unauthorized creation of low-privilege WordPress accounts) with no confidentiality or availability impact. Public exploit code exists (WPScan), which raises practical exploitability, but there is NO CISA KEV listing and NO EPSS score was provided, so active or widespread exploitation cannot be asserted - POC availability is a distinct, weaker signal than confirmed exploitation. The real-world risk is bounded by the fact that the created accounts default to WordPress's lowest role (typically 'subscriber') on most installs, making this primarily a bypass of an administrator's intent (registration disabled) and a potential foothold/spam vector rather than a direct compromise. No key signals are conflicting; the main gap is the absence of EPSS/KEV data, so prioritization should rely on deployment footprint rather than threat-intel urgency.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker targets a WordPress site running the TutorStarter theme (below 4.0.4) whose administrator has deliberately disabled public user registration. The attacker sends a crafted request directly to the vulnerable AJAX registration handler, which fails to check the site's registration setting and creates a new user account. A public POC/exploit is available via WPScan, lowering the effort required; the attacker can then script bulk account creation for spam, abuse of member-only features, or as a staging foothold.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
Patch available 0.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 08, 2026

Unauthenticated account creation in the TutorStarter WordPress theme (all versions before 4.0.4) allows any remote visitor to create a WordPress user account through the theme's AJAX registration handler even when the site has disabled user registration. The flaw bypasses the users_can_register setting administrators rely on as a safety control, but created accounts receive WordPress's default registration role, typically a low-privilege Subscriber, with no confidentiality or availability impact (CVSS 5.3, PR:N per the assessed vector). Publicly available exploit code exists and the WPScan advisory documents the vector, but there is no confirmed active exploitation (not in CISA KEV); exposure lasts only while an affected theme version is active. This is a low-to-moderate priority issue despite its network/unauthenticated profile.

RemediationAI

Vendor-released patch: upgrade the TutorStarter theme to 4.0.4 or later (advisory: https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/6ecea67e-8019-4ef2-bd27-a9da7dc27d43/); most sites do not auto-update themes, so verify the installed version and update manually. If an immediate update is not possible, deactivate the TutorStarter theme and switch to another theme - this fully removes the vulnerable handler at the cost of losing the theme's presentation and features. Alternatively, add a WAF or reverse-proxy rule that blocks requests to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php carrying the theme's registration action parameter; the trade-off is that blocking admin-ajax.php indiscriminately will break legitimate front-end AJAX used by other plugins, so the rule must be scoped to that specific action. Compensating controls that reduce but do not eliminate risk: confirm the default new-user role is the lowest available (Settings > General) to cap what created accounts can do, review the wp_users table and login logs for unexpected Subscriber registrations, and treat anomalous account creation as an incident indicator. Disabling 'Anyone can register' is explicitly not a mitigation here, since bypassing that exact setting is the vulnerability. Authentication requirements: unauthenticated (CVSS vector PR:N).

Affected VersionsENISA

TutorStarter 0 <4.0.4

Affected Packages

euvd tutorstarter fix: 4.0.4

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

WordPress themes and plugins expose AJAX endpoints by registering actions on the wp_ajax_{action} hook for authenticated users and wp_ajax_nopriv_{action} for unauthenticated ones, both routed through wp-admin/admin-ajax.php. The nopriv variant is reachable by anyone who can load the site, so any missing check inside such a handler is directly attacker-reachable. TutorStarter's registration handler creates users without first consulting get_option('users_can_register'), the setting that gates the core registration flow - a missing-authorization / missing-configuration-check logic defect rather than a memory-safety bug. No CWE was assigned by the source; the behavior maps to CWE-862/CWE-863-style missing authorization on a privileged action. The CPE record supplied is cpe:2.3:a:unknown:tutorstarter:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*, with an unassigned vendor and a wildcarded version, so the authoritative version boundary comes from the vendor advisory: everything below 4.0.4. Impact is bounded - the handler assigns only the site's default role, with no route to administrative escalation.

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Severity by source

Vendor (WPScan) PRIMARY 5.3 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
vuln.today AI 5.3 MEDIUM

Remote unauthenticated AJAX endpoint (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N) that creates unauthorized accounts gives I:L; no data exposure (C:N) and no availability impact (A:N).

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (WPScan).

CVSS VectorVendor: WPScan

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Patch available
Oct 08, 2026 - 12:16 EUVD
CVE Published
Oct 08, 2026 - 10:33 cve.org
MEDIUM 5.3

DescriptionCVE.org

The TutorStarter WordPress theme before 4.0.4 does not respect the site's user registration setting in one of its AJAX registration handlers, allowing unauthenticated visitors to create WordPress user accounts even when user registration is disabled.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.2%
Top 93% exploitable
Prevalence
Low
niche LMS-oriented WordPress theme, limited deployment footprint
Exploit
POC
Public exploit code exists
Data Quality
4 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC Yes
EPSS 0.2%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
Yes
Human Impact· derived
Medium
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

46
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +26
PoC: +20
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.

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