CVE-2009-3298 in Mahara
Summary
by MITRE
Mahara before 1.0.13, and 1.1.x before 1.1.7, allows remote authenticated institution administrators to reset a site administrator password via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/25/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-3298 represents a critical privilege escalation flaw within the Mahara learning management system. This vulnerability affects versions prior to 1.0.13 and 1.1.7, where authenticated institution administrators possess the ability to manipulate the password of site administrators through unspecified attack vectors. The flaw fundamentally undermines the security model of the system by allowing lower-privileged users to assume elevated administrative roles, creating a significant risk for organizations relying on Mahara for educational content management and user administration.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate access control mechanisms within the Mahara platform's authentication and authorization framework. Institution administrators should logically possess administrative privileges within their specific institutional context, but the flaw allows them to bypass normal security boundaries and access site-level administrative functions. This typically occurs through improper validation of user permissions during password reset operations or through insecure direct object references that permit manipulation of administrative user accounts. The unspecified vectors suggest potential weaknesses in input validation, session management, or privilege verification processes that could be exploited through various attack paths including parameter manipulation, direct API calls, or session hijacking techniques.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation to encompass potential data compromise and system integrity violations. When institution administrators can reset site administrator passwords, they gain access to the entire system configuration, user management capabilities, and potentially sensitive educational data. This creates a scenario where malicious actors within an organization could exploit this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to all institutional data, modify user permissions, or establish persistent backdoors within the learning management environment. The risk is particularly severe in educational institutions where Mahara systems often contain confidential student information, academic records, and sensitive research data.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including prompt deployment of patched versions 1.0.13 and 1.1.7, which address the underlying access control flaws through enhanced permission validation and proper privilege boundaries. Network segmentation and monitoring should be implemented to detect unusual authentication activities, particularly password reset requests from institution administrators. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this maps to privilege escalation techniques and credential access phases, potentially enabling further lateral movement within the organization's network infrastructure. Regular security assessments and user access reviews should be conducted to prevent unauthorized privilege assignment and ensure proper administrative segregation within the Mahara environment.