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GHSA-h362-m8f2-5x7c

HighCVSS 7.7 / 10
Published Jan 30, 2020·Last modified Mar 13, 2026
Affected Components(0)

No affected components available

Description

Impact

User passwords are stored in the database using the rather outdated and cryptographically insecure MD5 hash algorithm. Furthermore, the hashes are salted using the username instead of a random salt, causing hashes for users with the same username and password to collide which is problematic especially for popular users like the default admin user.

This essentially means that for an attacker, it might be feasible to reconstruct a user's password given access to these hashes.

Note that attackers needing access to the hashes means that they must gain access to the database in which these are stored first to be able to start cracking the passwords.

Patches

The problem is addressed in Opencast 8.1 which now uses the modern and much stronger bcrypt password hashing algorithm for storing passwords. Note, that old hashes remain MD5 until the password is updated.

For a list of users whose password hashes are stored using MD5, take a look at the /user-utils/users/md5.json REST endpoint.

Workarounds

There is no workaround.

References

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

  • Open an issue in opencast/opencast
  • For security-relevant information, email us at security@opencast.org
Risk Scores
Base Score
7.7

The vulnerability can be exploited over the network without needing physical access. It is difficult for an attacker to exploit this vulnerability and may require special conditions. An attacker needs basic access or low-level privileges. The attacker needs the user to perform some action, like clicking a link. The vulnerability can affect other systems as well, not just the initial system. There is a high impact on the confidentiality of the information. There is a high impact on the integrity of the data.

Threat Intelligence
7.1

Exploitation activity has been observed. Apply available patches or mitigations urgently.

EPSS
N/A

Probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days.

Exploit
Not available

We did not find any exploit available. Neither in GitHub repositories nor in the Exploit-Database.

Related Vulnerabilities
  • CVE-2020-5229
    Alias
  • EUVD-2020-0266
    Alias

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