# CVE-2012-5454: Missing authorization in n/a

> Remote authenticated users can modify arbitrary user passwords due to improper access restrictions in ATutor AContent.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:P/I:P/A:P`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 22 Oct 2012
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-2976-6mfc-xmp6

## What is CVE-2012-5454?

CVE-2012-5454 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in n/a, published on 22 Oct 2012. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

user/index_inline_editor_submit.php in ATutor AContent 1.2-1 does not properly restrict access, which allows remote authenticated users to modify arbitrary user passwords via a crafted request.  NOTE: this might be due to an incomplete fix for CVE-2012-5168.

Weakness: CWE-264

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2012-5454?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Atutor Acontent.

## How do I fix CVE-2012-5454?

No fix has been published for CVE-2012-5454 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2012-5454 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2012-5454 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2020-10557](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-10557/): File upload in n/a (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2012-5167](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-5167/): SQL injection in n/a (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2012-5168](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-5168/): Missing authorization in n/a (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2012-5453](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-5453/): SQL injection in n/a (medium 6.5)
- [CVE-2012-5169](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-5169/): Cross-site scripting in n/a (medium 4.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2012-5454 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2012-5454 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in n/a, published on 22 Oct 2012. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2012-5454 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: n/a. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-5454/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-5454/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2012-5454
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-5454
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2012-5454

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-5454/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.