CVE-2023-5545 : What You Need to Know

This CVE involves an auto-populated H5P author name that may lead to a potential information leak. The severity rating for this vulnerability is classified as low by Red Hat.

Understanding CVE-2023-5545

The vulnerability stems from H5P metadata automatically populating the author field with the user's username, potentially exposing sensitive information.

What is CVE-2023-5545?

The vulnerability in CVE-2023-5545 arises from the automatic population of the author field in H5P metadata with the user's username, which could contain sensitive information that may be leaked unintentionally.

The Impact of CVE-2023-5545

The impact of this vulnerability is rated as low, as it could potentially lead to the exposure of sensitive information to unauthorized actors.

Technical Details of CVE-2023-5545

The CVSSv3.1 score for this vulnerability is 3.3, with a low severity base score. The attack complexity is low, requiring local access and user interaction. The confidentiality impact is low, with no integrity impact or privileges required.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability allows for the automatic population of the author field in H5P metadata with the user's username, which may contain sensitive information that could be exposed to unauthorized parties.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: Moodle

Versions Unaffected: 4.2.3, 4.1.6, 4.0.11, 3.11.17, 3.9.24

Product: Fedora

Affected Versions: All versions

Product: Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux 7 (EPEL 7)

Affected Version: All versions

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability requires an attacker to leverage the auto-populated author name in H5P metadata to access potentially sensitive information linked to a user's username.

Mitigation and Prevention

To address CVE-2023-5545, it is crucial to implement immediate steps and adopt long-term security practices to mitigate the risk of information leakage.

Immediate Steps to Take

Disable or limit the auto-population feature of the author field in H5P metadata.
Educate users on the risks associated with potential information leaks through metadata.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch Moodle and related software to ensure the latest security fixes are applied.
Conduct security audits to identify and address potential vulnerabilities proactively.

Patching and Updates

Stay informed about security advisories from Moodle, Fedora, and EPEL 7 to promptly apply patches or updates that address CVE-2023-5545 and other security vulnerabilities.