CVE-2024-47876 in sakai
Summary
by MITRE • 10/15/2024
Sakai is a Collaboration and Learning Environment. Starting in version 23.0 and prior to version 23.2, kernel users created with type roleview can log in as a normal user. This can result in illegal access being granted to the system. Version 23.3 fixes this vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/30/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-47876 affects the Sakai Collaboration and Learning Environment platform, a widely used open-source learning management system. This security flaw exists in versions 23.0 through 23.2, where kernel users with the roleview type can exploit a privilege escalation vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to normal user accounts. The issue stems from insufficient access control mechanisms within the authentication and authorization framework of the Sakai platform, creating a critical security gap that undermines the system's integrity and user privacy protections.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a flaw in the role-based access control system where users assigned the roleview type can manipulate their session to assume normal user privileges. This represents a classic privilege escalation vulnerability that aligns with CWE-276, which describes improper privileges assigned to a resource. The flaw occurs at the kernel level of the Sakai system where user roles and permissions are managed, allowing malicious actors to bypass normal authentication boundaries. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to impersonate legitimate users and potentially access restricted content, modify user data, or perform unauthorized actions within the system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for educational institutions and organizations relying on Sakai for collaborative learning environments. Unauthorized access to normal user accounts can lead to data breaches, content manipulation, and potential exposure of sensitive student and faculty information. The vulnerability creates an attack surface that allows malicious actors to escalate privileges without proper authentication, potentially enabling broader system compromise. Organizations using affected versions of Sakai face risks of unauthorized data access, privacy violations, and potential compliance violations under regulations such as FERPA or GDPR that govern educational data protection.
The remediation for this vulnerability requires immediate deployment of Sakai version 23.3, which includes fixes addressing the privilege escalation flaw in the kernel user role management system. Organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of their Sakai installations to identify any potential exploitation attempts and ensure all users are properly authenticated and authorized. Security teams should implement monitoring for suspicious login patterns and privilege escalation attempts, while also reviewing access control policies to prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring in other components of the system. The fix addresses the root cause by strengthening the role-based access control mechanisms and ensuring proper validation of user privileges during authentication processes, aligning with security best practices outlined in the MITRE ATT&CK framework for privilege escalation techniques.