CVE-2026-50636: limesurvey/limesurvey · LimeSurvey has a SQL Injection issue
Affects limesurvey/limesurveySource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 8.8 High.
Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 06:59 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 29% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 9 Jun 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 29 Oct 2026.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| Packagistlimesurvey/limesurvey | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
AI-suggested
Since the RemoteControl interface must be enabled for exploitation and it is disabled by default, disabling or not enabling this interface reduces exposure. Monitor vendor advisories for updates or patches addressing this issue. Until a fix is available, restrict tokens/update permissions to trusted users only and consider disabling RemoteControl API if not required.
Description
The RemoteControl API methods invite_participants and remind_participants pass a caller-supplied token-ID array into TokenDynamic::findUninvited(), which concatenates the values directly into a tid IN ('...') SQL clause without parameterization or input validation. A remote, authenticated attacker holding the tokens/update permission on a survey can inject a crafted array element to perform SQL injection. Because LimeSurvey configures its PDO connection with emulated prepared statements (emulatePrepare = true) and does not disable MySQL multi-statements, the injection supports stacked queries: the attacker can append arbitrary additional statements (INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE/DROP/CREATE) after the original SELECT. This permits both arbitrary read of any data in the database, such as administrator bcrypt password hashes (lime_users), survey response PII, session records, and global settings, all recoverable via a SLEEP() time-based blind oracle, and arbitrary write/destruction of that data, including directly overwriting the administrator password hash for immediate account takeover or dropping/truncating tables. Reads and writes extend to any schema the application's database user can access. The RemoteControl interface (RPCInterface = json/xml) must be enabled, which is not the default.
References
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-50636 (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/LimeSurvey/LimeSurvey/pull/5031 (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/LimeSurvey/LimeSurvey/commit/4f383aa0bbe711f0064b319edb19fba759c50a33 (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/LimeSurvey/LimeSurvey/commit/98cfee55df97f9c82a72cf352bb204d51e588f7e (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/LimeSurvey/LimeSurvey (opens in a new tab)
- limesurvey.org (opens in a new tab)
- vulncheck.com/advisories/limesurvey-remotecontrol-invite-participants-remind-participants-sql-injection (opens in a new tab)