CVE-2025-59826
📋 TL;DR
In Flag Forge CTF platform version 2.1.0, non-admin users can create arbitrary challenges, allowing them to introduce malicious, incorrect, or misleading content. This affects all deployments running the vulnerable version where non-admin users have access to challenge creation functionality.
💻 Affected Systems
- Flag Forge CTF Platform
📦 What is this software?
Flagforge by Flagforge
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could create malicious challenges containing malware, phishing content, or exploit code that could compromise other users' systems or steal credentials.
Likely Case
Users create misleading or incorrect challenges that disrupt CTF competitions, create confusion, or violate platform integrity.
If Mitigated
With proper access controls, only authorized users can create challenges, maintaining platform integrity and security.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated non-admin user access to challenge creation functionality.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2.2.0
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/FlagForgeCTF/flagForge/security/advisories/GHSA-q7pg-qchv-3pc5
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Backup your current Flag Forge installation and database. 2. Download version 2.2.0 from the official repository. 3. Replace the existing installation with the new version. 4. Restart the Flag Forge service. 5. Verify the update was successful.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Challenge Creation for Non-Admins
allTemporarily restrict challenge creation to admin users only until patching is complete.
# Modify user permissions in Flag Forge configuration or database to remove challenge creation from non-admin roles
Implement Content Review Workflow
allRequire admin approval for all new challenges before they become visible to users.
# Configure Flag Forge to require admin review for all challenge submissions
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls to limit challenge creation to trusted admin users only.
- Enable comprehensive logging and monitoring of all challenge creation activities for anomaly detection.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if your Flag Forge installation is version 2.1.0 by examining the version file or checking the admin panel.Check Version:
Check the version.txt file or admin panel version display in your Flag Forge installation.Verify Fix Applied:
After updating, verify the version shows 2.2.0 and test that non-admin users cannot create challenges without proper authorization.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unauthorized challenge creation attempts by non-admin users
- Multiple challenge creations in short timeframes
- Challenges with suspicious content or metadata
Network Indicators:
- Unusual patterns in challenge submission traffic
- Requests to challenge creation endpoints from non-admin accounts
SIEM Query:
source="flagforge" AND (event="challenge_creation" AND user_role!="admin")