CVE-2025-56749 identifies a critical security vulnerability in Creativeitem Academy LMS versions up to and including 6.14, where the system uses a hardcoded default JSON Web Token (JWT) secret for signing authentication tokens. JWTs are widely used for stateless authentication, and their security depends heavily on the secrecy and randomness of the signing key. The presence of a hardcoded, predictable secret key means that attackers can generate valid JWTs without needing legitimate credentials. This allows them to impersonate any user, including administrators, effectively bypassing authentication controls. The vulnerability compromises the confidentiality and integrity of user accounts and potentially the entire LMS environment, enabling unauthorized access to sensitive educational content, user data, and administrative functions. Although no public exploits have been reported yet, the simplicity of the attack vector and the critical nature of the flaw make exploitation likely once details become widely known. The lack of a CVSS score indicates the vulnerability is newly published and not yet fully assessed, but the technical details clearly demonstrate a severe risk. The vulnerability affects all deployments using the vulnerable LMS versions, especially those that have not customized or rotated the JWT secret. The absence of patches or mitigation guidance in the provided data suggests organizations must proactively address this issue by changing the secret and monitoring for suspicious activity.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-56749 can be significant, especially for educational institutions, corporate training providers, and government agencies relying on Creativeitem Academy LMS for learning management. Unauthorized access via forged JWT tokens can lead to data breaches involving personal information of students, staff, and instructors, violating GDPR and other privacy regulations. Attackers could escalate privileges to administrative levels, altering course content, grades, or user roles, undermining the integrity of educational processes. Additionally, compromised LMS environments could be leveraged as footholds for lateral movement within organizational networks, increasing overall risk exposure. The disruption of LMS services could affect operational continuity and trust in digital learning platforms. The vulnerability’s ease of exploitation and broad scope make it a critical concern for organizations with large user bases or sensitive educational data. European entities must consider the regulatory and reputational consequences of such unauthorized access and data compromise.

1. Immediately replace the hardcoded default JWT secret with a strong, unique, and securely generated secret key. Use cryptographically secure random generators to create the secret. 2. Verify and enforce that the JWT secret is configurable and not hardcoded in any deployment or source code. 3. Apply any available patches or updates from Creativeitem Academy LMS as soon as they are released. 4. Conduct a thorough audit of all user accounts and access logs to detect any unauthorized access or suspicious token usage. 5. Implement additional monitoring and alerting for anomalous authentication patterns, such as token reuse or access from unusual IP addresses. 6. Educate administrators and developers about secure JWT handling practices to prevent similar issues in the future. 7. If possible, implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) to add an additional layer of security beyond JWT tokens. 8. Review and update incident response plans to address potential exploitation scenarios related to JWT forgery.