CVE-2016-10765 in edx-platform
Summary
by MITRE
edx-platform before 2016-06-10 allows account activation with a spoofed e-mail address.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/15/2020
The vulnerability described in CVE-2016-10765 affects the edx-platform learning management system prior to version 2016-06-10, representing a significant security flaw in the user account registration and activation process. This issue enables attackers to manipulate the email verification mechanism by spoofing email addresses during account creation, potentially allowing unauthorized access to user accounts or the creation of fraudulent accounts within the educational platform ecosystem. The vulnerability specifically targets the account activation workflow where email validation is used as a security control to verify user identities.
The technical flaw stems from insufficient validation of email addresses during the account activation process within the edx-platform system. When users attempt to create accounts or activate existing accounts, the platform fails to properly verify that the email address being used matches the one intended for account ownership. This weakness allows malicious actors to submit arbitrary email addresses during registration or activation, bypassing the intended email verification mechanism that should confirm user identity and ownership of the email address provided.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple account manipulation, potentially enabling several attack vectors within the educational platform environment. Attackers could exploit this flaw to create multiple fraudulent accounts, gain unauthorized access to educational resources, or potentially disrupt legitimate user activities by hijacking account activations. The vulnerability undermines the platform's authentication and authorization mechanisms, creating opportunities for account takeover attacks and unauthorized access to course materials, user data, and platform resources. This issue particularly affects educational institutions relying on edx-platform for their online learning management, where user identity verification is crucial for maintaining academic integrity and protecting sensitive educational data.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-384, which addresses the use of predictable identifiers in security-sensitive contexts, and represents a failure in proper input validation and authentication controls. The flaw also relates to ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers legitimate credentials usage, as attackers could potentially exploit this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access using spoofed email addresses. Organizations should implement proper email validation mechanisms that ensure email addresses are properly verified through cryptographic means or additional authentication factors before account activation is completed. The vulnerability highlights the importance of robust account management processes and demonstrates the critical need for proper email verification in online educational platforms where user identity and data security are paramount.
Mitigation strategies should include implementing comprehensive email validation procedures that require actual email verification through sent confirmation messages, ensuring that the email address provided matches the one that receives the activation email. Organizations should also consider implementing additional authentication factors such as multi-factor authentication, rate limiting for account creation attempts, and monitoring for suspicious account activation patterns. The platform should be updated to the patched version released on or after June 10, 2016, which addresses this specific vulnerability by strengthening the email verification process and ensuring that account activation requires legitimate email ownership verification. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in authentication and account management systems within educational technology platforms.