CVE-2022-0441
Stylemixthemes Masterstudy Lms ≤ 2.7.6
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2022-0441 is a critical-severity Improper Privilege Management (CWE-269) vulnerability in Stylemixthemes Masterstudy Lms. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).
Operationally, ranked in the top 0.3% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-2 (Account Management) and AC-3 (Access Enforcement) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
The MasterStudy LMS WordPress plugin prior to version 2.7.6 contains an improper privilege management flaw (CWE-269) in its account registration flow. The plugin fails to validate certain parameters supplied during new user creation, which permits an unauthenticated caller to supply an administrative role and thereby create accounts with full administrative privileges. The vulnerability carries a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8, reflecting network-accessible exploitation with no required credentials or user interaction.
An unauthenticated attacker can therefore submit a crafted registration request that directly grants administrator rights on the affected WordPress site. Successful exploitation yields complete control over the site, including the ability to install plugins, modify content, and access or alter any data stored by the LMS or other installed components.
Public references point to a corrective changeset committed to the WordPress plugin repository and a detailed advisory published by WPScan. Site operators are advised to update MasterStudy LMS to version 2.7.6 or later, which enforces proper role validation during registration.
The CVE’s EPSS score reached a peak of 0.9387 and remains elevated at 0.8135, indicating substantial and sustained exploitation interest after public disclosure.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2022-15580
Vulnerability Data
The MasterStudy LMS WordPress plugin before 2.7.6 does to validate some parameters given when registering a new account, allowing unauthenticated users to register as an admin
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
Likely ATT&CK TechniquesAI
Techniques this vulnerability likely enables, inferred from its description, weakness type, and attributed-actor tradecraft. Confidence is per-technique.
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Directly enforces authorization policy on role assignment so that unauthenticated registration requests cannot supply an administrative role.
Requires explicit account-management procedures and approval for privileged roles, blocking the unauthenticated creation of administrator accounts.
Mandates assignment of only the minimum necessary privileges, preventing the plugin from granting admin rights during open registration.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
PR.AA-05 enforces least privilege/SoD and periodic reviews that directly remove most privilege-assignment defects, yet CWE-269 also covers escalation paths and role design outside a single access-management control.
PR.AA-01 supplies credential/identity lifecycle support that can reduce some privilege-assignment errors but does not itself assign, modify, or check privileges, leaving most of CWE-269's risk unaddressed.
Config baselines and default reviews can enforce some privilege-related settings (one facet) but do not address code-level assignment/tracking logic that defines CWE-269.
PR.PS-05 can partially limit exploitability of some privilege issues via execution restrictions, but does not address the core design/implementation flaws of CWE-269 at all.
PR.DS-10 protects data-in-use without touching privilege assignment/tracking, so it neither prevents CWE-269 nor removes more than one narrow facet of its risk.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Requiring owner approval, segregation of duties, and periodic reviews prevents the assignment of excessive or unnecessary privileges to users or processes.
Enforcing minimum-necessary privileges, temporary grants, and separation of administrative versus normal identities prevents the over-assignment of rights that CWE-269 describes.
Dynamic techniques that grant the minimum necessary rights for a given time window and revoke them afterward reduce the window in which excessive or unnecessary privileges can be exploited.
Explicit restrictions on privileged access and segregation of duties limit the scope of privileges that can be assigned, reducing the chance that excessive or unnecessary privileges are granted to entities.
Defining and communicating authorization levels for each role limits the assignment of excessive or unnecessary privileges.
Separating duties such as developing software from administering production systems prevents any one person from accumulating excessive privileges that would constitute improper privilege management.