LifterlmsWordPress extension
CVE-2023-6160
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 · uneditedThe LifterLMS – WordPress LMS Plugin for eLearning plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Directory Traversal in versions up to, and including, 7.4.2 via the maybe_serve_export function. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with administrator or LMS manager access and above, to read the contents of arbitrary CSV files on the server, which can contain sensitive information as well as removing those files from the server.
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 confidenceThe LifterLMS WordPress plugin contains a directory traversal vulnerability in the maybe_serve_export function, allowing authenticated administrators or LMS managers to access arbitrary CSV files on the server by manipulating file paths. Attackers can both read sensitive data from these files and delete them from the server.
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
LifterlmsWordPress extension
<= 7.4.2CVSS 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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L
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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Verify LifterLMS plugin is installedIn WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'LifterLMS' in the listAffected if LifterLMS plugin is present in the WordPress installation
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Check installed LifterLMS versionIn WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins, find LifterLMS, and note the version number displayedAffected if The version listed is 7.4.2 or lower
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Locate the maybe_serve_export function fileIn the WordPress wp-content/plugins directory, navigate to lifterlms/includes/functions and locate the file containing the maybe_serve_export function (typically in export class files)Affected if The maybe_serve_export function exists and contains file path handling without proper sanitization
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Check if exports feature is enabledIn WordPress admin, go to LifterLMS > Settings > Export tab or look for export-related settings that enable CSV file generationAffected if Export functionality is active and accessible to administrators or LMS managers
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Verify user role access to exportsCheck if any WordPress user has Administrator role or LMS Manager role assigned, as these roles can access the vulnerable export functionAffected if At least one user with Administrator or LMS Manager role exists on the site
The environment is affected if LifterLMS version 7.4.2 or lower is installed, the maybe_serve_export function is present without path traversal protection, and an authenticated administrator or LMS manager account exists on the WordPress site.
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 dataUpgrade to a version newer than 7.4.2 which contains the patched code, or implement file path validation in the maybe_serve_export function to prevent path traversal sequences.
Fix this in Lifterlms
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 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 $1,696.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-6160 — 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-2023-6160 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