PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief
CVE-2026-42162 Mahara CVE debrief
AI-assisted PatchSiren debrief based on the supplied source corpus. The CVE record was published on 2026-08-17T23:16:52.023Z and has not been modified since then. The vulnerability affects Mahara before 25.04.5 and 26.04.0, allowing artefacts to be accessible to others under certain circumstances when the file path to an artefact in a page is manipulated. This issue has a CVSS score of 9.1 and a severity of CRITICAL. Organizations using Mahara, especially those with sensitive data, should verify their inventory and apply the vendor's remediation to prevent potential unauthorized access to artefacts. IT teams and security personnel should prioritize remediation efforts to protect against potential exploitation. The official CVE Program and NVD records provide details on this vulnerability.
- Vendor
- Mahara
- Product
- Mahara
- CVSS
- CRITICAL 9.1
- CISA KEV
- Not listed in stored evidence
- Original CVE published
- 2026-08-17
- Original CVE updated
- 2026-08-31
- Advisory published
- 2026-08-17
- Advisory updated
- 2026-08-31
Who should care
Organizations using Mahara, especially those with sensitive data, should verify their inventory and apply the vendor's remediation to prevent potential unauthorized access to artefacts. This is critical for organizations handling sensitive information, as the vulnerability has a CVSS score of 9.1 and a severity of CRITICAL. IT teams and security personnel should prioritize remediation efforts to protect against potential exploitation.
Technical summary
The CVE record describes a vulnerability in Mahara before 25.04.5 and 26.04.0 where artefacts can be accessible to others under certain circumstances when the file path to an artefact in a page is manipulated. The CVSS score is 9.1 with a severity of CRITICAL. This vulnerability allows unauthorized access to artefacts, potentially leading to data breaches or unauthorized modifications.
Defensive priority
Organizations using Mahara should verify their inventory and apply the vendor's remediation.
Recommended defensive actions
- Verify Mahara inventory for vulnerable versions
- Apply vendor remediation for artefact accessibility issue
- Monitor for unusual artefact access patterns
- Review compensating controls for exposed systems while remediation is scheduled and verified
- Check relevant monitoring, detection, and logs for exposed assets that need extra review
Evidence notes
The CVE record indicates Mahara before 25.04.5 and 26.04.0 is vulnerable to artefacts being accessible to others under certain circumstances. Official CVE Program and NVD records provide details. The vulnerability allows unauthorized access to artefacts when the file path to an artefact in a page is manipulated. Organizations should verify their inventory and apply the vendor's remediation to prevent potential unauthorized access. The CVSS score is 9.1 with a severity of CRITICAL.
Sources and references
Verified primary and authoritative sources
-
CVE-2026-42162 CVE Program record
Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified
URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-42162
CVE Program - Official CVE Program record with source-provided CVE metadata.
-
CVE-2026-42162 NVD vulnerability detail
Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified
URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-42162
NIST National Vulnerability Database - Official NIST NVD detail page and source-specific vulnerability assessment.
Supplemental references
-
Source reference
Unverified legacy reference
URL: https://mahara.org/
Methodology and review provenance
AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.