CVE-2018-1286

Vulnerability

In Apache OpenMeetings versions 3.0.0 through 4.0.1, the CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations on privileged user accounts are not protected by password re-authentication [2]. This means that once an attacker has a valid session, they can perform administrative actions on privileged users without providing any additional credentials.

Exploitation

An attacker needs only to have authenticated access to the OpenMeetings application. No special network position or privileges beyond a standard user session are required. By sending crafted HTTP requests to the affected endpoints, the attacker can delete, modify, or create privileged user accounts without any password challenge, effectively locking out or removing those users from the system.

Impact

Successful exploitation leads to a denial of service (DoS) condition for privileged users. The attacker can render privileged accounts inaccessible or unusable, disrupting administrative functions of the application. No data confidentiality or integrity is directly compromised beyond the user account management scope.

Mitigation

Apache released a fix in version 4.0.2 of OpenMeetings. Users should upgrade to version 4.0.2 or later [2]. There are no documented workarounds for earlier versions. The CVE is not listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog as of the publication date.