{"id":67037,"date":"2025-08-29T18:58:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T18:58:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-09-16T07:08:50","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T13:08:50","slug":"cve-2022-45134-critical-vulnerability-in-mahara-leading-to-potential-system-compromise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2022-45134-critical-vulnerability-in-mahara-leading-to-potential-system-compromise\/","title":{"rendered":"CVE-2022-45134: Critical Vulnerability in Mahara Leading to Potential System Compromise<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n

In this blog post, we delve into the recent critical vulnerability CVE-2022-45134 affecting Mahara versions 21.10 before 21.10.6, 22.04 before 22.04.4, and 22.10 before 22.10.1. Mahara is a popular open-source e-portfolio system widely used by educational institutions globally. This vulnerability allows potential attackers to execute arbitrary code<\/a> on the target system through a particular XML file structure during the skin import process. It’s crucial to understand and address this vulnerability promptly as it poses a severe threat to data<\/a> security, potentially leading to system compromise or data leakage.<\/p>\n

Vulnerability Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n

CVE ID: CVE-2022-45134
\nSeverity: Critical (9.8 CVSS Score)
\nAttack Vector: Network
\nPrivileges Required: Low
\nUser Interaction: Required
\nImpact: Potential system compromise or data<\/a> leakage<\/p>\n

Affected Products<\/strong><\/p>\n

Product | Affected Versions<\/p>\n

Mahara | 21.10 before 21.10.6
\nMahara | 22.04 before 22.04.4
\nMahara | 22.10 before 22.10.1<\/p>\n

How the Exploit Works<\/strong><\/p>\n

The vulnerability arises from the unsafe deserialization of user input<\/a> during the skin import process. When Mahara processes a specially structured XML file, it may lead to arbitrary code execution<\/a>. An attacker can exploit this by sending a malicious XML file in the skin import request, which, when deserialized unsafely by the application, allows the attacker to execute arbitrary code<\/a> on the target system.<\/p>\n

Conceptual Example Code<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here is a conceptual example of how an attacker might exploit this vulnerability. Please note that this is a hypothetical example and not actual exploit code.<\/p>\n

POST \/skin_import HTTP\/1.1\nHost: mahara.example.com\nContent-Type: application\/xml\n\n...malicious code here...<\/exploit>\n<\/root><\/code><\/pre>\n
In this example, the attacker sends a POST request<\/a> to the `\/skin_import` endpoint with a malicious XML payload.<\/p>\n
Mitigation Guide<\/strong><\/p>\n
Users are strongly advised to update their Mahara installation to the latest versions – 21.10.6, 22.04.4, or 22.10.1, as these versions contain the patch for this vulnerability<\/a>. If it’s not possible to apply the patch immediately, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can provide temporary mitigation. These systems should be configured<\/a> to block or alert on suspicious XML payloads in the skin import requests.
\nRemember, staying up-to-date with software patches and having a robust security system<\/a> in place is essential in protecting your systems and data from such vulnerabilities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Overview In this blog post, we delve into the recent critical vulnerability CVE-2022-45134 affecting Mahara versions 21.10 before 21.10.6, 22.04 before 22.04.4, and 22.10 before 22.10.1. Mahara is a popular open-source e-portfolio system widely used by educational institutions globally. This vulnerability allows potential attackers to execute arbitrary code on the target system through a particular […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"vendor":[],"product":[],"attack_vector":[80],"asset_type":[],"severity":[],"exploit_status":[],"class_list":["post-67037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","attack_vector-rce"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t