CVE-2024-13647 in School Management System Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 02/27/2025
The School Management System – SakolaWP plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery in all versions up to, and including, 1.0.8. This is due to missing or incorrect nonce validation on the 'save_exam_setting' and 'delete_exam_setting' actions. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to update exam settings via a forged request granted they can trick a site administrator into performing an action such as clicking on a link.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/21/2025
The School Management System – SakolaWP plugin for WordPress presents a critical cross-site request forgery vulnerability that affects all versions up to and including 1.0.8. This vulnerability stems from inadequate security controls within the plugin's administrative functionality, specifically targeting the save_exam_setting and delete_exam_setting actions. The flaw represents a fundamental breakdown in the plugin's ability to authenticate and validate administrative requests, creating a pathway for malicious actors to manipulate exam configurations without proper authorization. The vulnerability exists because the plugin fails to implement proper nonce validation mechanisms that would normally protect against csrf attacks by ensuring that requests originate from legitimate administrative sessions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to construct malicious requests that appear to come from legitimate administrative users. When an administrator clicks on a crafted link or visits a malicious page containing the forged request, the plugin processes the request without proper verification of the user's intent or authorization status. This occurs because the save_exam_setting and delete_exam_setting endpoints lack the required nonce validation checks that would normally be implemented in WordPress plugins to prevent csrf attacks. The absence of these protective measures means that any authenticated administrator who visits a malicious page could unknowingly execute administrative actions that modify exam settings, potentially leading to significant disruption of educational processes.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data modification, as exam settings control critical aspects of educational administration including scheduling, grading parameters, and assessment configurations. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could alter exam dates, modify grading scales, change exam types, or delete entire exam configurations, potentially causing widespread disruption to academic processes and student evaluations. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires minimal user interaction beyond tricking an administrator into clicking a malicious link, making it an attractive target for attackers who may already have access to the target network or who can create convincing social engineering campaigns. This makes the vulnerability especially dangerous in educational environments where administrators may be less vigilant about clicking unknown links or visiting untrusted websites.
Organizations using the SakolaWP plugin should immediately implement mitigations including updating to the latest version of the plugin where the nonce validation has been properly implemented, or implementing additional security measures such as restricting administrative access to known IP addresses, implementing web application firewalls, and conducting regular security audits of plugin installations. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery issues in web applications, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege and proper authentication mechanisms. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1566.001, which covers the use of malicious links and social engineering techniques to gain administrative access through forged requests. The remediation process should also include comprehensive staff training on recognizing potentially malicious links and the importance of verifying all administrative actions before execution, as the vulnerability ultimately depends on administrator behavior to be successfully exploited.