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LimesurveyApplication

CVE-2025-41076

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-11-20
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
In version 6.13.0 of LimeSurvey, any external user can cause a 500 error in the survey system by sending a malformed session cookie. Instead of displaying a generic error message, the system exposes internal backend information, including the use of the Yii framework, the MySQL/MariaDB database engine, the table name 'lime_sessions', primary keys, and fragments of the content that caused the conflict. This information can simplify the collection of data about the internal architecture of the application by an attacker.

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

In LimeSurvey 6.13.0, sending a malformed session cookie triggers a 500 error that exposes internal backend details through unhandled exceptions. The error response reveals the Yii framework, MySQL/MariaDB database engine, the 'lime_sessions' table name, primary keys, and conflict content fragments. This information disclosure aids attackers in mapping the application's internal architecture.

MitigationImplement proper error handling to return generic error messages instead of exception traces, and add validation for session cookies before processing to prevent malformed input from triggering detailed errors.

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
LimesurveyApplication
Affected:= 6.13.0

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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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. Determine LimeSurvey version
    Locate and inspect the LimeSurvey version file or configuration file in your installation directory. Common locations include a version.php file, config.php, or the admin interface under System Information. Compare the found version against the affected range (6.13.0).
    Affected if Your installed version is exactly 6.13.0
  2. Identify if error handling exposes exception details
    Send a malformed or tampered session cookie to your LimeSurvey instance (for example, modify the session cookie value to contain invalid characters or an intentionally corrupted payload). Observe the HTTP response returned by the server.
    Affected if The response contains stack traces, Yii framework references, database engine details (MySQL/MariaDB), table names such as 'lime_sessions', primary keys, or other internal implementation details instead of a generic error message.
  3. Verify application is reachable and accepting requests
    Confirm your LimeSurvey web application is operational and can process HTTP requests. This check is a prerequisite because the vulnerability is triggered via HTTP requests with malformed session cookies.
    Affected if The application is running and accessible via HTTP/HTTPS.

You are affected if you are running LimeSurvey version 6.13.0 AND your application returns detailed internal error information (framework name, database type, table names, or stack traces) when receiving malformed session cookies instead of generic error messages.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Implement proper error handling to return generic error messages instead of exception traces, and add validation for session cookies before processing to prevent malformed input from triggering detailed errors.

Fix this in Limesurvey Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2025-41076 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