CVE-2011-1402 in Mahara
Summary
by MITRE
Mahara before 1.3.6 allows remote authenticated users to bypass intended access restrictions, and suspend a user account, edit a view, visit a view, edit a plan artefact, read a plans block, read a plan artefact, edit a blog, read a blog block, read a blog artefact, or access a block, via a request associated with (1) admin/users/search.json.php, (2) view/newviewtoken.json.php, (3) lib/mahara.php, (4) artefact/plans/tasks.json.php, (5) artefact/plans/viewtasks.json.php, (6) artefact/blog/view/index.json.php, (7) artefact/blog/posts.json.php, or (8) blocktype/myfriends/myfriends.json.php, related to incorrect privilege enforcement, a missing user id check, and incorrect enforcement of the Overriding Start/Stop Dates setting.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/07/2021
The vulnerability described in CVE-2011-1402 affects Mahara versions prior to 1.3.6 and represents a critical authorization bypass flaw that allows authenticated attackers to perform unauthorized actions within the system. This issue stems from improper privilege enforcement mechanisms that fail to validate user permissions correctly across multiple application endpoints. The vulnerability specifically targets the core access control system that governs user interactions with various components including user management, view editing, plan artefacts, blog content, and block configurations. Attackers can exploit this weakness to gain elevated privileges and perform actions that should be restricted to authorized users only.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves several distinct attack vectors that all share a common root cause of missing user id checks and incorrect privilege validation. The affected endpoints include admin/users/search.json.php which handles user search functionality, view/newviewtoken.json.php for view token management, lib/mahara.php containing core system functions, artefact/plans/tasks.json.php for plan task management, artefact/plans/viewtasks.json.php for viewing plan tasks, artefact/blog/view/index.json.php for blog view operations, artefact/blog/posts.json.php for blog post handling, and blocktype/myfriends/myfriends.json.php for friend block functionality. Each of these endpoints fails to properly verify that the requesting user possesses the necessary permissions to perform the requested operations, allowing attackers to manipulate requests and bypass intended access controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it enables attackers to perform multiple high-risk actions within the Mahara learning management system. Users can suspend other accounts, edit or view views that should be restricted, manipulate plan artefacts and blog content, and access block configurations that contain sensitive information. The vulnerability particularly affects the Overriding Start/Stop Dates setting, which controls when users can access certain features, allowing attackers to circumvent time-based access restrictions. This creates a scenario where unauthorized users can gain access to restricted content, modify system data, and potentially compromise the integrity of the entire platform. The vulnerability essentially undermines the entire user permission model of the application.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues in software systems, and represents a classic case of insufficient access control validation. The flaw demonstrates a failure in the principle of least privilege where users can perform actions beyond their assigned permissions. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to privilege escalation and credential access techniques, allowing adversaries to move laterally within the system and gain access to resources that should be protected. The attack surface is particularly concerning as it affects core system functionality rather than isolated components, making it a high-value target for malicious actors. Organizations using affected Mahara versions should immediately implement mitigations including applying the patch to version 1.3.6 or later, reviewing access control configurations, and implementing additional monitoring for unauthorized access attempts to these specific endpoints. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper input validation and user session management in preventing unauthorized system access.