CVE-2024-9351 in Forminator Forms Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 10/17/2024
The Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery in all versions up to, and including, 1.35.1. This is due to missing or incorrect nonce validation on the quiz 'create_module' function. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to create draft quizzes 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 • 03/04/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-9351 affects the Forminator plugin for WordPress, specifically targeting versions up to and including 1.35.1. This plugin serves as a comprehensive form builder solution that enables website administrators to create contact forms, payment forms, and custom quizzes. The flaw resides within the quiz module functionality, where the plugin fails to properly validate nonce tokens during the creation of new quiz modules. A nonce is a cryptographic token that ensures requests originate from legitimate sources and prevents unauthorized actions from being executed on behalf of authenticated users. The absence of proper nonce validation creates a significant security gap that can be exploited by malicious actors.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the 'create_module' function within the quiz component of the Forminator plugin. This function handles the creation of new quiz modules and should require valid nonce verification to confirm that the request originates from an authenticated administrator. However, the function lacks proper nonce validation checks, allowing unauthenticated attackers to craft malicious requests that appear to come from legitimate administrative sessions. The vulnerability specifically targets the quiz creation functionality, enabling attackers to create draft quizzes that can be saved to the WordPress database without proper authentication. This type of flaw represents a classic cross-site request forgery vulnerability where attackers can manipulate users into performing unintended actions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation, as it allows attackers to inject potentially harmful quiz content into a target website. When an administrator clicks on a malicious link or visits a compromised page, the forged request can execute the quiz creation function with administrator privileges, resulting in unauthorized quiz modules being created in draft status. These draft quizzes could contain malicious code, phishing content, or other harmful elements that might be activated later when the administrator publishes them. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it requires only social engineering to exploit, making it accessible to attackers with minimal technical expertise. The attack vector relies on tricking administrators into performing actions, which aligns with the common tactics described in the attack pattern taxonomy under the MITRE ATT&CK framework for privilege escalation and persistence mechanisms.
Organizations using the Forminator plugin in vulnerable versions face significant risks including potential data corruption, unauthorized content injection, and possible compromise of user information collected through forms. The vulnerability creates a pathway for attackers to establish a foothold within the WordPress environment through seemingly innocuous administrative actions. The security implications are compounded by the fact that draft quizzes can be modified and published at a later time, allowing attackers to maintain persistent presence on the compromised site. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-352, which describes Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities where applications fail to validate the authenticity of requests. The lack of proper input validation and authentication checks in the quiz creation function creates a dangerous attack surface that can be exploited to undermine the integrity of the entire WordPress installation. The recommended remediation involves updating to the latest plugin version where proper nonce validation has been implemented, along with implementing additional security measures such as role-based access controls and monitoring for unauthorized form creation activities.