CVE-2021-44967

Exp

A Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerabilty exists in LimeSurvey 5.2.4 via the upload and install plugins function, which could let a remote malicious user upload an arbitrary PHP code file. NOTE: the Supplier's position is that plugins intentionally can contain arbitrary PHP code, and can only be installed by a superadmin, and therefore the security model is not violated by this finding.

Published: 2022-02-24 Last update: 2025-02-20 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2021-44967 is rated High Exploit Risk (78.7/100): CVSS High severity, with high exploitation likelihood (EPSS 12.68%, 96th percentile). Core evidence: 2 public exploit reference(s) are indexed (Exploit-DB). Mandatory action: Public exploits are available—assess exposure, apply mitigations, and prioritize patching.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Public exploit references (Exploit-DB) for CVE-2021-44967

EDB-ID Source Kind Published Link
nvd_ref exploit_tag Exploit-DB ↗
nvd_ref exploit_tag Exploit-DB ↗

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2021-44967

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 77.38% 12.68% -64.70%
2 2026-05-27 75.88% 77.38% +1.50%
3 2026-04-06 75.88%

Full EPSS history (30 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2021-44967

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
8.8 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
2.8 5.9 [email protected]
9.0 2.0 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:C/I:C/A:C Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:L)
Exploitation conditions are straightforward and predictable.
Authentication (AU:S)
A single authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:C)
Complete confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:C)
Complete integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:C)
Complete availability impact.
8.0 10.0 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2021-44967

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2021-44967

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
limesurvey limesurvey 5.2.4 cpe:2.3:a:limesurvey:limesurvey:5.2.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2021-44967

cvelogic Threat Intelligence