CVE-2025-36728
📋 TL;DR
A Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Simplehelp allows attackers to trick authenticated users into performing unintended actions. This affects Simplehelp versions before 5.5.11, potentially enabling unauthorized configuration changes or data manipulation.
💻 Affected Systems
- Simplehelp
📦 What is this software?
Simplehelp by Simple Help
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could reconfigure Simplehelp settings, create new admin accounts, or manipulate remote access sessions, potentially leading to full system compromise.
Likely Case
Attackers modify configuration settings, create limited privileged accounts, or disrupt remote support sessions.
If Mitigated
With proper CSRF protections and user awareness, impact is limited to session disruption or minor configuration changes.
🎯 Exploit Status
CSRF attacks require user interaction but are straightforward to implement once the vulnerability is understood.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 5.5.11
Vendor Advisory: https://www.tenable.com/security/research/tra-2025-24
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download Simplehelp 5.5.11 or later from official sources. 2. Backup current configuration. 3. Stop Simplehelp service. 4. Install updated version. 5. Restart Simplehelp service.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
CSRF Token Implementation
allImplement custom anti-CSRF tokens for all state-changing requests
SameSite Cookie Enforcement
allConfigure cookies with SameSite=Strict attribute
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block CSRF patterns
- Restrict Simplehelp web interface access to trusted networks only
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Simplehelp version in web interface admin panel or configuration filesCheck Version:
Check web interface footer or admin panel for version informationVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 5.5.11 or later and test CSRF protection mechanisms📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Multiple configuration changes from same user session
- Unexpected admin account creation
Network Indicators:
- CSRF attack patterns in HTTP requests
- State-changing requests without proper referrer headers
SIEM Query:
source="simplehelp" AND (event="config_change" OR event="user_create") | stats count by src_ip, user