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CVE-2026-42164 – Information Disclosure via Text Block Content Recall – Mahara before 25.04.5 and 26

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Summary

CVE-2026-42164 is an incorrect access control vulnerability in Mahara’s Text block/section functionality that allows unauthorized retrieval of backed-up content belonging to another user’s Text section. The flaw is remotely exploitable over the network with no authentication or user interaction required, and NVD rates it CRITICAL with a base score of 9.8.

Technical details

  • Root cause: Mahara’s Text block feature retains backed-up content, and the application fails to properly restrict access to that backup data, allowing it to be recalled from a different Text section than the one it belongs to.
  • Trigger condition: A specially crafted request/call to the Text block recall functionality causes the application to return backed-up content associated with another Text section (belonging to another user or page).
  • Attack vector: Network-based (AV:N), low attack complexity, no privileges and no user interaction required.
  • Impact: Confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact are all rated High per the CVSS vector, reflecting exposure of sensitive user-generated content that was not intended to be shared.

Affected software

  • Mahara versions before 25.04.5
  • Mahara 26.04.0

Severity

  • CVSS v3.1 Base Score: 9.8 (Critical)
  • Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Mitigation and recommended actions

  • Immediate: Upgrade to Mahara 25.04.5, 26.04.0 (fixed release), or a later maintained version.
  • If no patch can be applied immediately: Restrict network access to the Mahara instance where possible, monitor for unusual access patterns to Text block/backup recall endpoints, and consider engaging the vendor’s Extended Security Support program if running an unsupported release branch.

How IONIX identifies potentially affected assets

IONIX matches the following signals against data already collected when it crawled the asset; identifying the technology sends no request beyond that crawl.

  • Named <meta name="generator"> tag content: Mahara
  • set-cookie response header value: mahara=

References

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