dbcve.org
SQL InjectionWeakness · CWE-89

CVE-2026-8653

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-06-04
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
The MasterStudy LMS Pro Plus plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to generic SQL Injection via the 'columns' parameter in all versions up to, and including, 4.8.20 due to insufficient escaping on the user supplied parameter and lack of sufficient preparation on the existing SQL query. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with instructor-level access or above, to append additional SQL queries into already existing queries that can be used to extract sensitive information from the database.

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

The MasterStudy LMS Pro Plus WordPress plugin versions up to 4.8.20 contain a SQL injection vulnerability in the 'columns' parameter. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input sanitization allowing unauthenticated SQL character injection, combined with lack of prepared statements in the SQL query construction. Attackers with instructor-level or higher WordPress user accounts can manipulate the 'columns' parameter to inject arbitrary SQL queries and extract sensitive database contents.

MitigationUpgrade MasterStudy LMS Pro Plus to version 4.8.21 or later which includes proper input sanitization and prepared statement usage for the affected code path.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

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. Confirm MasterStudy LMS plugin is installed
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and search for 'MasterStudy LMS'. Verify both the free and Pro Plus versions are listed.
    Affected if MasterStudy LMS Pro Plus plugin is active on the WordPress site
  2. Check the installed Pro Plus version
    On the Plugins page, find MasterStudy LMS Pro Plus and view the version number displayed below the plugin name. Compare it to the fixed version 4.8.21.
    Affected if The installed version is lower than 4.8.21 (e.g., 4.8.20, 4.8.15, etc.)
  3. Verify instructor-level user accounts exist
    In WordPress admin, go to Users and review user roles. Identify any accounts with 'Instructor' role or higher (such as Administrator).
    Affected if There are user accounts with Instructor, Admin, or other elevated roles who could access the vulnerable feature
  4. Identify exposed SQL query endpoints
    Review WordPress access logs or use a network proxy to monitor requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php or similar endpoints that accept a 'columns' parameter from the MasterStudy plugin.
    Affected if Requests containing the 'columns' parameter are being processed by the plugin without sanitization

The environment is affected if MasterStudy LMS Pro Plus is installed with a version below 4.8.21 and the site has instructor-level users who can access the vulnerable SQL query endpoint.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade MasterStudy LMS Pro Plus to version 4.8.21 or later which includes proper input sanitization and prepared statement usage for the affected code path.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Version 4.8.21 or later (any version above 4.8.20)

  1. 1. Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard with an administrator account
  2. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. 3. Locate the MasterStudy LMS Pro Plus plugin in the list
  4. 4. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to install the latest version
  5. 5. After updating, verify the plugin is running version 4.8.21 or higher
  6. 6. Test that core LMS functionality (especially areas using the 'columns' parameter) works correctly

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
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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-2026-8653 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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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