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MaharaApplication

CVE-2022-44544

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-11-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 21.04.7 / 21.10.5 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 21.04 before 21.04.7, 21.10 before 21.10.5, 22.04 before 22.04.3, and 22.10 before 22.10.0 potentially allow a PDF export to trigger a remote shell if the site is running on Ubuntu and the flag -dSAFER is not set with Ghostscript.

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 · high confidence

Mahara's PDF export functionality uses Ghostscript, and when running on Ubuntu without the -dSAFER flag, Ghostscript allows arbitrary shell command execution. An attacker can craft a malicious PDF that triggers remote code execution during the export process.

MitigationUpgrade Mahara to version 21.04.7, 21.10.5, 22.04.3, 22.10.0 or later; alternatively, configure Ghostscript to run with the -dSAFER flag on Ubuntu to prevent command execution.

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:>= 21.04.0, < 21.04.7>= 21.10.0, < 21.10.5>= 22.04.0, < 22.04.3= 22.10.0

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
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

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. Check installed Mahara version
    Access the Mahara admin panel or check the version file in the Mahara installation directory to determine the exact version number
    Affected if Version is 21.04.0 through 21.04.6, 21.10.0 through 21.10.4, 22.04.0 through 22.04.2, or 22.10.0
  2. Verify operating system
    Run 'lsb_release -a' or check /etc/os-release to confirm the server is running Ubuntu
    Affected if System is Ubuntu (the vulnerability specifically affects Ubuntu environments)
  3. Confirm PDF export functionality is enabled
    Navigate to Mahara admin settings or check configuration files to determine if PDF export feature is turned on
    Affected if PDF export is enabled and accessible to users
  4. Inspect Ghostscript configuration for -dSAFER flag
    Review Mahara's PDF generation scripts or configuration files that invoke Ghostscript and verify whether the -dSAFER flag is included in the Ghostscript command
    Affected if Ghostscript is invoked without the -dSAFER flag on Ubuntu

A user is affected if Mahara runs on Ubuntu with a vulnerable version, has PDF export enabled, and Ghostscript executes without the -dSAFER flag, allowing a crafted malicious PDF to trigger remote code execution during export.

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 21.04.7 / 21.10.5 / 22.04.3 or later
Fixed in 21.04.721.10.522.04.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Mahara to version 21.04.7, 21.10.5, 22.04.3, 22.10.0 or later; alternatively, configure Ghostscript to run with the -dSAFER flag on Ubuntu to prevent command execution.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to Mahara 21.04.7, 21.10.5, 22.04.3, or 22.10.1/22.10.2 (or latest stable) depending on your branch

  1. 1. Back up your Mahara database and all files, including the config.php file.
  2. 2. Download the appropriate fixed version of Mahara for your current installation (21.04.7, 21.10.5, 22.04.3, or 22.10.1/22.10.2) from the official Mahara website (mahara.org).
  3. 3. Place your site in maintenance mode via Site Administration > General > Site options.
  4. 4. Extract the new Mahara files, overwriting the existing installation while preserving your config.php and any custom local changes.
  5. 5. Run the database upgrade by visiting your Mahara URL (the upgrade script will automatically run if needed).
  6. 6. Clear all caches via Site Administration > General > Clear caches.
  7. 7. Disable maintenance mode and verify the PDF export functionality works correctly.
  8. 8. Confirm Ghostscript is running with -dSAFER flag (if using Ubuntu server, verify /etc/ghostscript/gslib.ps does not contain 'false setuserparams' and that -dSAFER is enabled by default in Ubuntu's Ghostscript package).
Caveat Standard Mahara minor version upgrades are generally low-risk but always test in staging first; ensure plugin compatibility with your customizations

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

Fix this in Mahara Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.

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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-2022-44544 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