CVE-2017-17455 in Mahara
Summary
by MITRE
Mahara 16.10 before 16.10.7, 17.04 before 17.04.5, and 17.10 before 17.10.2 are vulnerable to being forced, via a man-in-the-middle attack, to interact with Mahara on the HTTP protocol rather than HTTPS even when an SSL certificate is present.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/07/2020
This vulnerability in Mahara represents a critical downgrade attack vector that compromises the security of web communications. The flaw exists in versions prior to the specified patched releases, where the application fails to properly enforce secure HTTPS connections when SSL certificates are present. This weakness allows attackers to manipulate network traffic through man-in-the-middle techniques, forcing the application to revert to insecure HTTP protocols despite the availability of secure TLS encryption. The vulnerability directly impacts the integrity and confidentiality of data transmitted between users and the Mahara learning management system.
The technical implementation of this flaw stems from insufficient protocol enforcement mechanisms within the Mahara application's web server configuration or application logic. When SSL certificates are present and properly configured, the system should automatically redirect or enforce HTTPS connections to prevent downgrade attacks. However, in vulnerable versions, this security control is either absent or improperly implemented, creating an attack surface where malicious actors can intercept and manipulate communications. This type of vulnerability is classified as a protocol downgrade attack that violates fundamental security principles of secure communication channels.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it fundamentally undermines the trust model that secure web applications rely upon. An attacker who successfully forces protocol downgrade can potentially access sensitive user information, session cookies, and authentication credentials transmitted over the insecure HTTP connection. This creates opportunities for session hijacking, credential theft, and other advanced persistent threats that can compromise the entire Mahara instance. The vulnerability affects educational institutions and organizations using Mahara for online learning management, potentially exposing student data and institutional information to unauthorized access.
Security controls and mitigations for this vulnerability involve implementing proper HTTP Strict Transport Security headers, configuring the web server to enforce HTTPS connections, and ensuring that all redirects properly maintain secure protocol integrity. Organizations should immediately upgrade to the patched versions of Mahara that address this issue, while also implementing network-level controls to prevent protocol downgrade attacks. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-319 (CWE-319: Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information) and represents a failure in secure protocol enforcement that could be exploited through techniques categorized under ATT&CK tactic TA0011 (Command and Control) and technique T1071.3 (Application Layer Protocol: Web Protocols). Organizations should also consider implementing certificate pinning mechanisms and network monitoring to detect and prevent such downgrade attacks, as the vulnerability demonstrates a fundamental weakness in the application's secure communication protocols that requires both application-level and infrastructure-level remediation.