dbcve.org
LearnpressWordPress extension · Thimpress

CVE-2023-36516

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-06-19
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.2.3.1 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
Missing Authorization vulnerability in ThimPress LearnPress.This issue affects LearnPress: from n/a through 4.2.3.

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 confidence

LearnPress plugin versions 4.2.3 and earlier contain a missing authorization vulnerability that allows authenticated users to bypass access controls and perform unauthorized actions within the Learning Management System. The specific vulnerable endpoints or functions are not detailed, but the high CVSS score indicates the issue is exploitable over the network with standard user privileges.

MitigationApply the vendor patch (version 4.2.4 or later) which adds proper capability checks and authorization validation to affected LearnPress functions. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict user registration and review existing user roles and capabilities.

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
LearnpressWordPress extension
Affected:< 4.2.3.1

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
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 checks

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

  1. Verify LearnPress plugin version
    Check the installed version of the LearnPress plugin through WordPress admin (Plugins > Installed Plugins > LearnPress) or by inspecting the main plugin file header in wp-content/plugins/learnpress/learnpress.php for the 'Version' field
    Affected if The installed version is 4.2.3 or earlier, or the version field shows less than 4.2.3.1
  2. Confirm WordPress user registration is enabled
    Navigate to WordPress Settings > General and check if 'Anyone can register' is enabled, or check the 'users_can_register' option in the wp_options table
    Affected if User registration is enabled, allowing new authenticated users to potentially exploit the authorization bypass
  3. Review existing LearnPress user roles
    Use a role management plugin or query wp_usermeta for users with LearnPress-specific capabilities (such as 'lp_instructor', 'lp_teacher', or custom LearnPress roles), and review their assigned permissions
    Affected if There are users with LearnPress instructor or elevated LMS roles, or users have capabilities beyond what their role should normally permit
  4. Check for unauthorized course or content modifications
    Review the lp_posts or wp_posts table for courses, lessons, or quizzes created by users who should not have instructor-level permissions, noting the post_author field
    Affected if Courses or LMS content exist that were created by users without proper instructor authorization

A user is affected if LearnPress version is 4.2.3 or earlier AND the site allows user registration or has users with potentially unauthorized elevated LearnPress capabilities.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 4.2.3.1 or later
Fixed in 4.2.3.1
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor patch (version 4.2.4 or later) which adds proper capability checks and authorization validation to affected LearnPress functions. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict user registration and review existing user roles and capabilities.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

LearnPress version 4.2.3.1

  1. 1. Create a complete backup of your WordPress site including database and files
  2. 2. Navigate to your WordPress admin dashboard
  3. 3. Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  4. 4. Find LearnPress in the plugin list
  5. 5. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to update to version 4.2.3.1
  6. 6. Alternatively, manually upload LearnPress version 4.2.3.1 via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
  7. 7. After updating, verify the current version is 4.2.3.1 in Plugins > Installed Plugins

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

Fix this in Learnpress Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2023-36516 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data