Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2020-5231


In Opencast before 7.6 and 8.1, users with the role ROLE_COURSE_ADMIN can use the user-utils endpoint to create new users not including the role ROLE_ADMIN. ROLE_COURSE_ADMIN is a non-standard role in Opencast which is referenced neither in the documentation nor in any code (except for tests) but only in the security configuration. From the name – implying an admin for a specific course – users would never expect that this role allows user creation. This issue is fixed in 7.6 and 8.1 which both ship a new default security configuration.


Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a MEDIUM severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 4.8, indicating it can be exploited remotely over the network with relatively low complexity though user interaction is required . The vulnerability impacts limited data confidentiality, limited integrity, for affected systems. Impacting 1 product from apereo organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.

Historical Context

Reported in 2020, this vulnerability emerged during an era marked by increased sophistication in supply chain attacks, cloud infrastructure vulnerabilities, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) security challenges. Security practices during this period emphasized zero-trust architectures, container security, and API protection.


Published

2020-01-30T22:15:10.220

Last Modified

2024-11-21T05:33:43.587

Status

Modified

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.1: 4.8 (MEDIUM)

CVSSv2 Vector

AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:N/I:P/A:N

  • Access Vector: NETWORK
  • Access Complexity: LOW
  • Authentication: SINGLE
  • Confidentiality Impact: NONE
  • Integrity Impact: PARTIAL
  • Availability Impact: NONE
Exploitability Score

8.0

Impact Score

2.9

Weaknesses
  • Type: Secondary
    CWE-285
  • Type: Primary
    CWE-276

Affected Vendors & Products
Type Vendor Product Version/Range Vulnerable?
Application apereo opencast < 7.6 Yes
Application apereo opencast 8.0 Yes

References

How SecUtils Interprets This CVE

SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For apereo's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.