dbcve.org
Seriously Simple StatsWordPress extension · Castos

CVE-2023-45001

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-11-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.5.1 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability in Castos Seriously Simple Stats allows SQL Injection.This issue affects Seriously Simple Stats: from n/a through 1.5.0.

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

SQL Injection vulnerability in the Castos Seriously Simple Stats WordPress plugin allows attackers to inject malicious SQL commands via unsanitized user input, potentially enabling data exfiltration, modification, or complete database compromise. The critical CVSS 9.8 score indicates ease of exploitation and severe impact.

MitigationUpgrade to the latest version of Seriously Simple Stats which implements parameterized queries or proper input sanitization. If no patched version exists, audit and harden all database queries in the plugin to use prepared statements.

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
Seriously Simple StatsWordPress extension
Affected:< 1.5.1

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
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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. Locate the plugin installation directory
    Check your WordPress wp-content/plugins/ folder for a directory named 'seriously-simple-stats', 'castos-seriously-simple-stats', or similar variations containing 'stats' or 'seriously simple' in the name.
    Affected if The plugin directory exists in wp-content/plugins/
  2. Identify the installed plugin version
    Open the main plugin file (usually named similarly to the directory) and locate the version header in the plugin comments, or check the readme.txt file for the 'Stable tag' version number.
    Affected if The reported version is lower than 1.5.1 (e.g., 1.5.0, 1.4.x, etc.)
  3. Confirm plugin is active
    Log into WordPress admin and navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins, or query the wp_options table for the option_name 'active_plugins' to see if the plugin is enabled.
    Affected if The plugin appears in the list of active plugins and is currently enabled on the site
  4. Verify the vulnerable code path is present
    If possible, examine the plugin source code for direct SQL queries that use $wpdb->prepare without proper sanitization, or review server access logs for unusual SQL-like patterns in requests to plugin endpoints.
    Affected if The plugin contains unsanitized database queries and is processing user-supplied input without parameterized queries

You are affected if the Castos Seriously Simple Stats plugin is installed, active, and running a version lower than 1.5.1, as this version range contains the SQL injection vulnerability via unsanitized user input.

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 1.5.1 or later
Fixed in 1.5.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to the latest version of Seriously Simple Stats which implements parameterized queries or proper input sanitization. If no patched version exists, audit and harden all database queries in the plugin to use prepared statements.

Recommended fix High confidence

Seriously Simple Stats version 1.5.1

  1. 1. Back up your WordPress database and files before proceeding with any updates.
  2. 2. Navigate to the WordPress admin dashboard > Plugins section.
  3. 3. Locate the 'Seriously Simple Stats' plugin in your installed plugins list.
  4. 4. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to upgrade to version 1.5.1.
  5. 5. Alternatively, you can manually download version 1.5.1 from the WordPress plugin repository or Castos website, then deactivate and delete the old version, then upload and activate the new version.
  6. 6. After updating, verify the plugin is functioning correctly and test any critical functionality that depends on it.
  7. 7. Confirm the updated version number shows 1.5.1 in the plugins list.

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

Fix this in Seriously Simple Stats Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
19.0 hours of engineering $3,380
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,408.

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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-2023-45001 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