Overview
The CVE-2025-48336 vulnerability is a critical security flaw found in the ThimPress Course Builder software. This vulnerability, termed as deserialization of untrusted data, can potentially lead to a complete system compromise or data leakage. It is a widespread vulnerability affecting all versions of Course Builder before 3.6.6.
This vulnerability is particularly concerning as ThimPress Course Builder is a widely used tool in the education sector for creating and managing online courses. As such, a successful exploit could potentially impact a large number of institutions and individuals, leading to a severe breach of sensitive data.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-48336
Severity: Critical (9.8)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: System compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
ThimPress Course Builder | All versions before 3.6.6
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability arises from the ThimPress Course Builder’s handling of data serialization and deserialization processes. In particular, the software fails to properly validate and sanitize user-supplied data before deserializing it. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending maliciously crafted serialized data to a vulnerable application. Upon deserialization, the malicious code is executed, potentially leading to unauthorized code execution, system compromise, or data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
Below is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. This is a hypothetical HTTP request that sends a malicious serialized object to a vulnerable endpoint.
POST /vulnerable/endpoint HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/json
{ "malicious_payload": "Serialized_Object_with_Malicious_Code" }Upon receiving this request, the vulnerable system would deserialize the malicious payload, leading to the execution of the injected malicious code.
Mitigation and Recommendations
To mitigate the risk associated with CVE-2025-48336, users of ThimPress Course Builder should immediately update their software to version 3.6.6 or later, where the vulnerability has been addressed.
In cases where an immediate update is not possible, it is recommended to use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) as a temporary mitigation measure. These systems can monitor and block suspicious traffic, reducing the risk of a successful exploit.
Always be sure to regularly update and patch your systems to protect against the latest known vulnerabilities. Organizations should also implement robust security strategies, including vulnerability scanning and penetration testing, to proactively identify and address potential security weaknesses.