CVE-2024-48038 Overview
CVE-2024-48038 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the wp-Monalisa WordPress plugin developed by tuxlog. The flaw affects all versions of the plugin up to and including 6.4. An attacker can trick an authenticated WordPress user into submitting a forged request that performs actions on their behalf without consent. The vulnerability is tracked under CWE-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery. Exploitation requires user interaction, such as visiting a malicious webpage while authenticated to the target WordPress site.
Critical Impact
Successful exploitation allows attackers to perform unauthorized state-changing actions in the wp-Monalisa plugin by leveraging an authenticated victim's browser session.
Affected Products
- tuxlog wp-Monalisa WordPress plugin, all versions through 6.4
- WordPress sites with the vulnerable plugin installed and activated
- Administrator or privileged user sessions targeted by the CSRF payload
Discovery Timeline
- 2024-10-17 - CVE-2024-48038 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2024-48038
Vulnerability Analysis
The wp-Monalisa plugin fails to validate the origin or authenticity of state-changing HTTP requests. WordPress provides an anti-CSRF mechanism through nonces generated by wp_nonce_field() and validated with check_admin_referer() or wp_verify_nonce(). The vulnerable plugin either omits these checks or implements them insufficiently on sensitive endpoints. An attacker can craft a malicious HTML page or link that submits requests to the plugin endpoint. When an authenticated user loads the page, their browser sends the request with valid session cookies attached.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing or improper CSRF protection on plugin request handlers. The plugin does not require or verify a unique per-session token when processing requests that modify plugin state or settings. This omission allows any cross-origin request from an authenticated session to be treated as legitimate.
Attack Vector
The attack vector is network-based and requires user interaction. An attacker hosts a malicious page containing an auto-submitting form or image tag pointing to the vulnerable wp-Monalisa endpoint. The attacker then lures an authenticated WordPress user to visit that page through phishing, forum posts, or malicious advertising. The victim's browser submits the forged request, executing the action with the victim's privileges. Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Advisory for endpoint-level technical details.
Detection Methods for CVE-2024-48038
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected changes to wp-Monalisa plugin configuration or gallery content without corresponding administrator activity
- HTTP POST or GET requests to plugin endpoints originating from off-site Referer headers
- WordPress admin actions logged from user sessions during time windows the user was not actively working in the admin panel
Detection Strategies
- Review web server access logs for requests to wp-admin/admin.php or plugin-specific endpoints with external Referer headers targeting authenticated users
- Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule set that flags state-changing requests missing valid WordPress nonces
- Correlate administrator authentication timestamps with plugin configuration change events to identify anomalies
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable WordPress audit logging plugins to capture plugin option changes and administrative actions with source IP and referer data
- Monitor for outbound HTTP traffic from administrator browsers to unfamiliar domains that may host CSRF payloads
- Alert on modifications to wp-Monalisa options or database entries outside scheduled maintenance windows
How to Mitigate CVE-2024-48038
Immediate Actions Required
- Update the wp-Monalisa plugin to a version above 6.4 as soon as a patched release becomes available from the vendor
- Deactivate and remove the plugin if no patched version is available and the functionality is not business-critical
- Instruct administrators to log out of WordPress sessions when not actively managing the site
Patch Information
The advisory identifies affected versions up to and including 6.4. Consult the Patchstack Vulnerability Advisory and the tuxlog vendor channels for the latest patched release information. Apply updates in a staging environment before deploying to production.
Workarounds
- Enforce SameSite cookie attributes (SameSite=Lax or Strict) on WordPress authentication cookies to reduce cross-origin request risk
- Deploy a WAF policy that requires a valid Referer header matching the WordPress domain for all administrative POST requests
- Restrict access to /wp-admin/ by IP allowlist where operationally feasible to limit exposure of authenticated sessions
- Train administrators to avoid clicking untrusted links while authenticated to the WordPress admin panel
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
