Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
-
AccessRegister or use existing member account
-
ExploitSubmit own topic_save request with valid CSRF token
-
ExecutionReplace topic_uuid with victim's topic
-
ImpactOverwrite victim topic title and first post
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Object-level authorization, IDOR prevention
|
| Exploitation Conditions | Requires a valid authenticated member account on the target Admidio instance (PR:L) with access to the forum module and the ability to create/edit topics, from which the attacker obtains a legitimate CSRF token for their own session. The attacker then manipulates the topic_uuid parameter in the topic_save request because ForumService::saveTopic() does not validate that the requester owns the referenced topic. Limiting factors: exploitation is impossible without a member account, so risk is highest on instances permitting open self-registration; impact is restricted to overwriting other users' forum topic titles and first posts (integrity only) with no data disclosure or service disruption; only versions 5.0.0 through 5.0.15 are affected, with 5.0.16 remediating the ownership check. |
| Impact | This is a genuine but moderate-priority authorization flaw, not a critical one. The provided CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N) scores 7.1 and correctly reflects a network-reachable, low-complexity attack that requires an authenticated low-privilege account (PR:L) and affects integrity only (VI:H) with no confidentiality or availability impact. Reported by VulnCheck with a coordinated GitHub Security Advisory (GHSA-8256-4wm7-f628), so the technical validity is well-substantiated. However, no EPSS score, no CISA KEV listing, and no public exploit were provided, so exploitation status is 'no public exploit identified at time of analysis' - this is not evidence of active exploitation. Note the scale divergence worth flagging to teams: CVSS 4.0 rates this 7.1 (High) while an equivalent CVSS 3.1 assessment lands around 4.3 (Medium), because 3.1 weights integrity-only impacts far lower; the 'High' label overstates real-world urgency. The flaw requires an attacker to already hold a valid member account on the target Admidio instance, limiting it to insiders or communities that allow self-registration, and the impact is confined to defacing/overwriting other members' forum topic titles and first posts - reputational/integrity harm rather than system compromise. Real priority is moderate: patch in routine cycles, prioritize instances with open registration. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An authenticated member of an Admidio community crafts a normal topic_save request to edit one of their own forum topics, then substitutes the topic_uuid of a victim's topic while reusing their own valid CSRF token. The server's ForumService::saveTopic() fails to verify topic ownership, so the victim's topic title and first post are overwritten. No public exploit code was provided, but the technique is trivial to reproduce manually given a member account. |
Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.
Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 17, 2026
Authenticated members can overwrite other users' forum topic titles and first posts in Admidio 5.0.0 through 5.0.15 because ForumService::saveTopic() fails to verify that the supplied topic_uuid belongs to the requester. The flaw is an insecure direct object reference (CWE-639) reachable over the network with low privileges (PR:L) and no user interaction; impact is integrity-only, with no confidentiality or availability effect per the assessed CVSS 3.1 vector. No public exploit was identified at time of analysis, and the vendor addressed the missing ownership check in 5.0.16; this is a genuine but moderate-priority authorization flaw, not a critical one.
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patch: 5.0.16, which adds the missing ownership check in ForumService::saveTopic(); upgrade to 5.0.16 or later. See the GitHub advisory https://github.com/Admidio/admidio/security/advisories/GHSA-8256-4wm7-f628 and VulnCheck advisory https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/admidio-5.0.0-before-5.0.16-idor-via-forum-topic-update. If immediate upgrade is not possible, restrict forum posting and topic-edit rights to trusted roles and disable open self-registration so untrusted users cannot obtain the member account required for exploitation; the trade-off is reduced forum participation and administrative overhead. Disabling the forum module entirely removes the attack surface but also removes legitimate forum functionality. Do not rely on CSRF tokens as a mitigation, because the attacker reuses a valid token from their own session.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
Admidio's forum module uses ForumService::saveTopic() to process topic_save requests. The handler trusts the client-supplied topic_uuid parameter and does not confirm that the authenticated member owns the referenced topic, which is the classic CWE-639 authorization bypass through user-controlled key / IDOR pattern. An attacker with a valid member account and access to the forum module can create or edit their own topic, retain the legitimate CSRF token for their session, and then change topic_uuid to a victim's topic identifier to overwrite that topic's title and first post. The CSRF token remains valid because the request is made from the attacker's own authenticated session, so CSRF protection does not mitigate this horizontal privilege issue. Per the independent assessment, exploitation requires a member account (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N); it cannot be performed unauthenticated, and the effect is limited to forum content integrity in versions 5.0.0 through 5.0.15.
Know when Admidio gets its next vulnerability
- Watch products and get an email when something new is published
- Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
No credit card · 7-day full trial
Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Network-reachable low-complexity request needing only a low-privilege member account (PR:L), no user interaction; impact is integrity-only (I:H) with no confidentiality or availability effect.
Primary rating from Vendor (VulnCheck).
CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Admidio from 5.0.0 before 5.0.16 contains an insecure direct object reference vulnerability in ForumService::saveTopic() that allows authenticated members to modify other users' forum topics. Attackers can replace the topic_uuid parameter in their own topic_save request, reusing their CSRF token, to overwrite the victim topic's title and first post.
Technical POC Analysis
CWE-639 (Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key), with the advisory naming CWE-862 (Missing Authorization) as the related root cause.
Full technical POC analysis - root cause, step-by-step exploitation and patch breakdown - is part of the Pro and Business plans.
Executive ViewAI
Admidio 5.0.0 through 5.0.15 contains an authorization flaw that lets authenticated low-privilege members alter other users' forum topic titles and first posts, undermining the integrity of community content. No public exploit has been identified at time of analysis, but the issue is network-reachable and requires only low privileges, so affected organizations should treat it as a moderate-priority integrity risk. Leadership should care because tampered forum content can erode user trust and disrupt community operations.
Apply vendor patch.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Cross-Site Request Forgery exploits the automatic credential inclusion behavior of web browsers.
Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.
Admidio is a free, open source user management system for websites of organizations and groups. Rated high severity (CVS
Admidio is a free, open source user management system for websites of organizations and groups. Rated high severity (CVS
Admidio is a free, open source user management system for websites of organizations and groups. Rated high severity (CVS
Improper Neutralization of Formula Elements in a CSV File in GitHub repository admidio/admidio prior to 4.2.9. Rated hig
SQL Injection was discovered in adm_program/modules/dates/dates_function.php in Admidio 3.2.5. Rated high severity (CVSS
Authenticated SQL injection in Admidio through 4.3.16 allows users with role-assignment privileges to execute arbitrary
Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type in GitHub repository admidio/admidio prior to 4.2.10. Rated high severit
Insufficient Session Expiration in GitHub repository admidio/admidio prior to 4.1.9. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), thi
Admidio 3.3.5 contains a cross-site request forgery vulnerability that allows low-privilege users to increase their perm
Insufficient Session Expiration in GitHub repository admidio/admidio prior to 4.2.11. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5),
Admidio v4.2.12 and below is vulnerable to Cross Site Scripting (XSS). Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerabil
Admidio is a free open source user management system for websites of organizations and groups. Rated medium severity (CV
EUVD-2026-103308
GHSA-j6q3-mqjq-8j39
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
VulDB
Exploit-DB