CVE-2024-37093 in MasterStudy LMS Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 01/02/2025
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in StylemixThemes MasterStudy LMS allows Cross Site Request Forgery.This issue affects MasterStudy LMS: from n/a through 3.2.1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/16/2025
The Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-37093 resides within the StylemixThemes MasterStudy LMS platform, representing a critical security weakness that undermines the integrity of user sessions and administrative operations. This vulnerability specifically impacts versions of the MasterStudy LMS plugin ranging from an unspecified beginning version through and including 3.2.1, creating a window of exposure for potentially thousands of installations that have not yet updated to newer releases. The flaw enables malicious actors to exploit the trust relationship between authenticated users and the vulnerable web application, allowing unauthorized actions to be performed on behalf of legitimate users without their knowledge or consent.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF token validation mechanisms within the plugin's request processing workflow. When users navigate to malicious websites or click on compromised links while authenticated to the MasterStudy LMS platform, attackers can craft requests that appear legitimate to the server because they lack the necessary anti-CSRF tokens that should verify the authenticity of user intent. This weakness directly aligns with CWE-352, which categorizes Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities as those that permit unauthorized commands to be executed by a user who is authenticated to the application. The vulnerability manifests in the web application's inability to distinguish between genuine user-initiated requests and forged requests that originate from external domains, creating a fundamental breakdown in the application's security controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation, potentially enabling attackers to perform high-risk administrative actions within the MasterStudy LMS environment. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to modify user accounts, alter course content, change administrative permissions, or even delete critical learning materials. The consequences are particularly severe in educational environments where the MasterStudy LMS platform manages sensitive student information, course materials, and institutional data. The vulnerability's exploitation could lead to complete compromise of the learning management system, potentially resulting in data breaches, unauthorized access to student records, and disruption of educational services. Organizations using the affected plugin versions face significant risk of unauthorized modifications to their learning platforms, which could affect thousands of students and instructors depending on the size of their institution.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-37093 require immediate attention from system administrators and security teams managing MasterStudy LMS installations. The most effective immediate solution involves upgrading to the latest available version of the MasterStudy LMS plugin, which should contain the necessary anti-CSRF token implementation and validation mechanisms. Organizations should also implement additional defensive measures including the deployment of Content Security Policy headers, enabling proper session management controls, and conducting thorough security audits of all web applications. Security teams should monitor for suspicious activities within their LMS platforms and implement web application firewalls that can detect and block CSRF attack patterns. The vulnerability's presence in versions through 3.2.1 highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date software and implementing continuous monitoring processes to identify and remediate security weaknesses before they can be exploited by malicious actors. This case demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and anti-CSRF token implementation as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and MITRE ATT&CK framework categories related to web application vulnerabilities and credential access techniques.