CVE-2011-0440 in Mahara
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Mahara 1.2.x before 1.2.7 and 1.3.x before 1.3.4 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users for requests that delete blogs.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/21/2021
The CVE-2011-0440 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw affecting Mahara learning management systems version 1.2.x prior to 1.2.7 and 1.3.x prior to 1.3.4. This vulnerability resides within the web application's authentication and authorization mechanisms, specifically in how the system handles user session management during blog deletion operations. The flaw allows remote attackers to manipulate authenticated users into performing unintended actions without their knowledge or consent, fundamentally undermining the security model of the platform.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF tokens or validation mechanisms when processing blog deletion requests. When a user navigates to a malicious website or clicks on a crafted link while authenticated to Mahara, the attacker can construct a request that appears legitimate to the server because it includes the user's valid session cookies. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it targets the blog deletion functionality, which represents a high-privilege operation that can result in permanent data loss. This flaw aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities, and demonstrates how insufficient input validation and session management can create exploitable conditions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation, as it enables attackers to compromise user accounts and destroy educational content. Since Mahara is commonly used in academic and institutional environments, the deletion of blog posts could represent significant educational material or personal data that users have invested considerable time and effort into creating. Attackers could potentially orchestrate coordinated attacks against multiple users simultaneously, causing widespread disruption to educational activities and potentially violating data protection regulations. The vulnerability's remote nature means that exploitation does not require physical access to the system or knowledge of specific user credentials beyond the ability to trick users into visiting malicious sites.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing robust anti-CSRF protection mechanisms including the use of unique, unpredictable tokens for each user session that are validated before processing sensitive operations. The system should enforce strict validation of request origins and implement proper session management practices to prevent unauthorized access. Organizations using affected Mahara versions should immediately upgrade to patched releases and consider implementing additional security controls such as content security policies and enhanced monitoring of user activities. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of maintaining current security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect against common web application vulnerabilities. The incident highlights the need for comprehensive security testing and validation of authentication mechanisms, particularly in educational platforms where user data integrity and availability are paramount.