LearndashWordPress extension
CVE-2023-28777
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 · uneditedImproper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability in LearnDash LearnDash LMS allows SQL Injection.This issue affects LearnDash LMS: from n/a through 4.5.3.
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 · moderate confidenceSQL Injection vulnerability in LearnDash LMS allows attackers to inject malicious SQL commands through improper neutralization of special elements in SQL queries. This could allow unauthorized database access, data exfiltration, or manipulation of learning data.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
LearndashWordPress extension
<= 4.5.3CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Locate installed LearnDash LMS versionAccess your WordPress admin dashboard and navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. Find LearnDash LMS in the list and note the version number displayed under the plugin name. Alternatively, inspect the main plugin file (learndash/ld-autoload.php or learndash/learndash.php) and look for the 'Version' header comment.Affected if The displayed version is 4.5.3 or lower.
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Compare version against affected rangeReview the version number obtained from step 1. Compare it numerically to 4.5.3. Note that versions like 4.5.0, 4.4.0, 4.0.0, and any version below 4.5.3 are within the affected range.Affected if The installed version is 4.5.3 or any version lower than 4.5.3.
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Verify plugin is active and accessibleIn the WordPress admin under Plugins > Installed Plugins, confirm that LearnDash LMS shows as 'Active'. Additionally, verify that the site publicly exposes LearnDash course pages, lesson templates, or quiz features that would process user-submitted data.Affected if The plugin is active and publicly accessible, allowing user input to reach database query functions.
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Check for recent database access anomaliesReview WordPress debug logs (wp-content/debug.log if logging is enabled) and database query logs for any unusual or unexpected SQL queries originating from LearnDash-related PHP files. Look for queries containing UNION statements, stacked queries, or unexpected conditional logic.Affected if Suspicious SQL patterns are found in logs related to LearnDash functionality.
A user is affected if their LearnDash LMS version is 4.5.3 or lower and the plugin is active and processing user input through its course, lesson, or quiz features.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataUpdate LearnDash LMS to the latest version beyond 4.5.3 to obtain the patched code. If no update is available, audit recent code changes for unsanitized user input in database queries and implement prepared statements.
Fix this in Learndash
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-28777 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-28777 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data