CVE-2022-28892
📋 TL;DR
This CSRF vulnerability in Mahara allows attackers to trick authenticated users into performing unintended actions by exploiting easily guessable random tokens. All Mahara instances running vulnerable versions are affected, potentially allowing attackers to modify user data, change permissions, or perform administrative actions.
💻 Affected Systems
- Mahara
📦 What is this software?
Mahara by Mahara
Mahara by Mahara
Mahara by Mahara
Mahara by Mahara
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could gain administrative access, modify all user accounts, steal sensitive data, or completely compromise the Mahara instance.
Likely Case
Attackers trick users into changing their own profile settings, modifying portfolio content, or performing limited administrative actions.
If Mitigated
With proper CSRF protections and user awareness, impact is limited to failed attack attempts with no successful exploitation.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction but uses standard CSRF techniques with predictable tokens.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 20.10.5, 21.04.4, 21.10.2, or 22.04.0
Vendor Advisory: https://mahara.org/interaction/forum/topic.php?id=9094
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Backup your Mahara installation and database. 2. Download the appropriate patched version from mahara.org. 3. Replace the vulnerable files with patched versions. 4. Clear caches if applicable.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
CSRF Token Validation Enhancement
allImplement additional CSRF token validation checks in application code
Web Application Firewall Rules
allConfigure WAF to detect and block CSRF attack patterns
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict SameSite cookie policies and additional CSRF protection headers
- Educate users about CSRF risks and implement manual confirmation for sensitive actions
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Mahara version in admin panel or via version.php fileCheck Version:
grep -i 'version' /path/to/mahara/version.phpVerify Fix Applied:
Verify installed version is 20.10.5, 21.04.4, 21.10.2, or 22.04.0 or later📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Multiple failed CSRF token validations from same IP
- Unusual administrative actions from regular users
Network Indicators:
- POST requests without proper Referer headers
- Requests with predictable token patterns
SIEM Query:
source="mahara_logs" AND (message="CSRF token validation failed" OR message="Invalid token")