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MaharaApplication

CVE-2022-29584

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-04-28
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 20.10.5 / 21.04.4 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Mahara before 20.10.5, 21.04.4, 21.10.2, and 22.04.0 allows stored XSS when a particular Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) class for embedly is used, and JavaScript code is constructed to perform an action.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

Mahara before the specified versions contains a stored XSS vulnerability where malicious JavaScript can be injected via a specific CSS class used for embedly content embedding. An attacker can construct JavaScript code within the embedly CSS class to execute actions in the context of authenticated users.

MitigationUpgrade Mahara to version 20.10.5, 21.04.4, 21.10.2, or 22.04.0 or later to patch the stored XSS vulnerability in the embedly CSS class handling.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
MaharaApplication
Affected:< 20.10.5>= 21.04.0, < 21.04.4>= 21.10.0, < 21.10.2= 22.04.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the installed Mahara version
    Check your Mahara installation version number, typically found in the admin interface under 'Site options' or in a version file within the Mahara installation directory.
    Affected if The installed version is less than 20.10.5, or between 21.04.0 and 21.04.4 (exclusive), or between 21.10.0 and 21.10.2 (exclusive), or exactly 22.04.0.
  2. Determine if the embedly feature is enabled
    Check whether the embedly content embedding functionality is active on your Mahara site. This is typically configured in the site administration under 'External content' or 'Embed services'.
    Affected if The embedly feature is enabled and users can embed external content using embedly.
  3. Inspect embedly CSS class handling in submitted content
    Examine how Mahara processes and renders embedly content, specifically looking for how CSS classes are applied to embedded items. Check if user-submitted content can influence the CSS class values.
    Affected if The application allows user-controlled input to be reflected in CSS class attributes without proper sanitization, particularly within embedly content rendering.

Your environment is affected if Mahara is running an affected version (pre-20.10.5, 21.04.x before 21.04.4, 21.10.x before 21.10.2, or exactly 22.04.0) AND the embedly content embedding feature is enabled and processes user-submitted content without sufficient sanitization of CSS class values.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 20.10.5 / 21.04.4 / 21.10.2 or later
Fixed in 20.10.521.04.421.10.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Mahara to version 20.10.5, 21.04.4, 21.10.2, or 22.04.0 or later to patch the stored XSS vulnerability in the embedly CSS class handling.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to Mahara 22.04.1 or later (or the latest stable release). For interim upgrades: 20.10.5, 21.04.4, or 21.10.2 depending on your current branch.

  1. 1. Backup your Mahara database and files before performing any upgrade.
  2. 2. Download the latest Mahara release from the official Mahara repository (launchpad.net or mahara.org).
  3. 3. Extract the new version files to your web server, replacing the existing installation.
  4. 4. Run the upgrade script by accessing your Mahara site - the system will automatically detect and apply necessary database updates.
  5. 5. Clear all caches in Mahara (Site Administration -> Extensions -> Cache clear).
  6. 6. Verify the upgrade was successful by logging in and testing the embedly functionality.
Caveat Standard Mahara upgrade - review release notes for any deprecation warnings or migration requirements before upgrading.

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Mahara Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,900
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,040.

Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-29584 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data