dbcve.org
Missing AuthorizationWeakness · CWE-862

CVE-2026-6708

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-12
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The HEL Online Classroom: AI-powered Online Classrooms plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Missing Authorization in all versions up to, and including, 1.0.3. This is due to a missing capability check on a REST API endpoint registered with a permission_callback of '__return_true', which bypasses all WordPress authentication and authorization checks. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to delete any classroom record by supplying its ID in the request, resulting in permanent data loss.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The HEL Online Classroom plugin for WordPress has a missing authorization vulnerability in its REST API. An endpoint registered with permission_callback set to '__return_true' bypasses all WordPress authentication and authorization checks, allowing unauthenticated attackers to delete any classroom record by supplying its ID in the request.

MitigationReplace the permission_callback '__return_true' with a proper capability check function (e.g., current_user_can('manage_options') or a custom capability) to enforce authorization on the REST API endpoint.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm HEL Online Classroom plugin is installed
    Navigate to WordPress admin dashboard > Plugins and verify HEL Online Classroom appears in the installed plugins list, or query the filesystem under wp-content/plugins/ for a folder containing 'hel-online-classroom' or similar naming
    Affected if The plugin is present in the WordPress installation
  2. Identify REST API endpoints exposed by the plugin
    Use a tool like WP-CLI: wp rest-api list _search=classroom, or inspect plugin source code for rest_register_() calls, or make a GET request to /wp-json/ and search for endpoints containing 'classroom' in their paths
    Affected if The plugin registers REST API endpoints under the wp-json namespace
  3. Verify endpoint permission_callback configuration
    Inspect the plugin PHP files for rest_route definitions with permission_callback set to '__return_true' - search the plugin directory for the string '__return_true' used as permission_callback in rest_register_ calls
    Affected if Any classroom-related endpoint has permission_callback set to '__return_true' without additional capability checks
  4. Test unauthenticated delete access
    Using a tool like curl or Postman, send a DELETE request to the identified classroom endpoint (e.g., /wp-json/hel/v1/classrooms/{id}) without providing any authentication cookies or headers, and observe if the request is accepted
    Affected if The DELETE request returns a successful response (200/204) without requiring authentication
  5. Compare installed plugin version to documentation
    Check the plugin version in WordPress admin > Plugins > HEL Online Classroom details, or read the plugin main PHP file header for Version: x.x.x, then compare against any official changelog or security release notes if available
    Affected if The installed version predates a security fix or has no documented patch for this authorization issue

A user is affected if the HEL Online Classroom plugin is installed and its REST API endpoint for classroom deletion is accessible without authentication due to '__return_true' permission_callback.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Replace the permission_callback '__return_true' with a proper capability check function (e.g., current_user_can('manage_options') or a custom capability) to enforce authorization on the REST API endpoint.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest version of HEL Online Classroom plugin (check WordPress plugin repository for version higher than 1.0.3)

  1. Check the WordPress admin panel for plugin updates under Plugins > All Plugins
  2. Update the HEL Online Classroom plugin to the latest available version
  3. Verify the update was successful by confirming the new version number in the plugins list
  4. Test that the classroom deletion functionality still works for authorized users
  5. If possible, review the plugin's REST API endpoints to confirm the permission_callback has been properly fixed

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-6708 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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