Description
Mahara before 1.3.6 allows remote authenticated users to bypass intended access restrictions, and suspend a user account, edit a view, visit a view, edit a plan artefact, read a plans block, read a plan artefact, edit a blog, read a blog block, read a blog artefact, or access a block, via a request associated with (1) admin/users/search.json.php, (2) view/newviewtoken.json.php, (3) lib/mahara.php, (4) artefact/plans/tasks.json.php, (5) artefact/plans/viewtasks.json.php, (6) artefact/blog/view/index.json.php, (7) artefact/blog/posts.json.php, or (8) blocktype/myfriends/myfriends.json.php, related to incorrect privilege enforcement, a missing user id check, and incorrect enforcement of the Overriding Start/Stop Dates setting.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 6.0 | mahara | 1.2.6-2+squeeze2 | DSA-2246-1 |
| Debian 5.0 | mahara | 1.0.4-4+lenny10 | DSA-2246-1 |
Advisories 1
- DSA-2246-1 mahara - several vulnerabilities Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- https://launchpad.net/mahara/+milestone/1.3.6
- https://launchpad.net/mahara/+bug/771637
- https://launchpad.net/mahara/+bug/771623
- https://launchpad.net/mahara/+bug/771614
- mahara-searchjson-sec-bypass(67397) vdb-entry
- https://launchpad.net/mahara/+bug/746182
- https://launchpad.net/mahara/+bug/771592
- https://launchpad.net/mahara/+bug/771644
- mahara-newviewtokenjson-sec-bypass(67396) vdb-entry
- https://launchpad.net/mahara/+bug/772140
- 47798 vdb-entry
- 44433 third-party-advisory
- https://launchpad.net/mahara/+bug/771653
- DSA-2246 vendor-advisory