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MaharaApplication

CVE-2022-45133

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-08-22
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 21.10.6 / 22.04.4 or later.
See remediation →
74/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 21.10 before 21.10.6, 22.04 before 22.04.4, and 22.10 before 22.10.1 allows unsafe font upload for skins. A particularly structured XML file could allow one to traverse the server to obtain access to secure files or cause code execution based on the payload.

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 allows unsafe font upload for skins where a specially crafted XML file can enable directory traversal, permitting access to secure files on the server or arbitrary code execution depending on the payload structure.

MitigationUpgrade Mahara to versions 21.10.6, 22.04.4, 22.10.1 or later. Until patched, disable skin/font upload functionality and implement strict input validation on uploaded XML files.

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:>= 21.10.0, < 21.10.6>= 22.04.0, < 22.04.4>= 22.10.0, < 22.10.1

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
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/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. Check installed Mahara version
    Locate the version file in your Mahara installation (typically in the root directory as 'version.php' or check the admin interface under 'Administration -> Configure -> Site options' for the version number)
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: 21.10.0 to 21.10.5, 22.04.0 to 22.04.3, or 22.10.0
  2. Determine if skin functionality is enabled
    In the Mahara admin panel, navigate to 'Administration -> Configure -> Skins' or check the 'skinsenabled' config setting in the database table 'config'
    Affected if Skins are enabled in the system configuration
  3. Check if font upload is permitted for skins
    In admin under 'Skins' settings, look for options related to 'Upload fonts' or 'Custom fonts' - also check the 'skin_fonts' configuration value in the 'config' database table
    Affected if Font upload capability is available to users (not disabled)
  4. Inspect uploaded skin XML files
    Search the 'artefact/file/theme/skin' directory (or wherever Mahara stores skin files) for XML files containing '../' path sequences or unusual file path references in font declarations
    Affected if XML files with directory traversal patterns (../) are present in skin directories
  5. Review web server access logs
    Examine web server logs (Apache/nginx) for requests to skin upload endpoints containing unusual path patterns such as '../' or absolute paths like '/etc/','/root/', or '.php' extensions in parameters related to skin/font uploads
    Affected if Logs show requests with path traversal patterns targeting skin upload functionality

A user is affected if their Mahara installation version is 21.10.0-21.10.5, 22.04.0-22.04.3, or 22.10.0 AND the skin/font upload feature is enabled.

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 21.10.6 / 22.04.4 / 22.10.1 or later
Fixed in 21.10.622.04.422.10.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Mahara to versions 21.10.6, 22.04.4, 22.10.1 or later. Until patched, disable skin/font upload functionality and implement strict input validation on uploaded XML files.

Recommended fix High confidence

Mahara 21.10.6, 22.04.4, or 22.10.1 (or later)

  1. 1. Create a complete backup of the Mahara database and all site files including the htdocs directory and config.php
  2. 2. Put the Mahara site into maintenance mode via the admin interface or by creating a maintenance.json file
  3. 3. Download the appropriate fixed version of Mahara (21.10.6, 22.04.4, or 22.10.1) from the official Mahara download page
  4. 4. Extract the new version and replace the htdocs directory contents, preserving your config.php and any custom local code
  5. 5. Run the database upgrade script by accessing the site or via command line (php htdocs/admin/cli/upgrade.php)
  6. 6. Clear all caches including the smarty compile cache and anyopcache
  7. 7. Verify the upgrade was successful and disable maintenance mode
  8. 8. Test skin/font upload functionality to confirm the vulnerability is remediated
Caveat Standard Mahara minor version upgrades typically have minimal breaking changes; review the release notes for any deprecations

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

Fix this in Mahara Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2022-45133 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