CVE-2024-37540 in Leaky Paywall Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 01/02/2025
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Leaky Paywall Leaky Paywall allows Cross Site Request Forgery.This issue affects Leaky Paywall: from n/a through 4.21.2.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/16/2025
The Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-37540 represents a critical security flaw within the Leaky Paywall plugin ecosystem that enables unauthorized users to perform actions on behalf of authenticated users without their knowledge or consent. This vulnerability specifically impacts versions of the Leaky Paywall plugin ranging from the initial release through version 4.21.2, creating a persistent risk across multiple iterations of the software. The flaw exploits the fundamental principle that web applications should verify the origin of requests to prevent malicious actors from manipulating user sessions and executing unauthorized operations.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-forgery token mechanisms within the plugin's authentication and authorization framework. When users navigate to malicious websites or click on compromised links, attackers can craft requests that appear to originate from legitimate user sessions, bypassing standard security measures designed to protect against unauthorized modifications. This weakness allows threat actors to exploit the trust relationship between the web application and authenticated users, potentially enabling them to modify user settings, process unauthorized transactions, or execute administrative functions within the compromised system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, creating significant risks for users who rely on the Leaky Paywall plugin for content management and subscription services. Attackers could leverage this flaw to manipulate subscription status, modify payment configurations, or gain unauthorized access to premium content management features. The vulnerability particularly threatens websites that depend on the plugin for revenue generation, as unauthorized modifications could result in financial loss, user data compromise, or service disruption. Organizations using affected versions face potential regulatory compliance issues and reputational damage if user accounts are compromised through this attack vector.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-37540 should prioritize immediate plugin updates to versions that address the CSRF implementation gaps, following the vendor's security advisory and patch release schedule. System administrators must implement additional security layers including Content Security Policy headers, proper session management controls, and comprehensive monitoring of user activity patterns that might indicate unauthorized access attempts. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and regular security assessments to detect potential exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in web applications, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1566.002 for credential access through social engineering and T1071.001 for application layer protocol usage, emphasizing the multi-faceted nature of the threat landscape surrounding such vulnerabilities.