# CVE-2012-6562: Missing authorization in n/a

> Remote attackers can create arbitrary user accounts due to missing permission checks in the useradd action, leading to unauthorized access.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.8 (`AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 23 May 2013
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-wx93-8gv6-wmq3

## What is CVE-2012-6562?

CVE-2012-6562 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in n/a, published on 23 May 2013. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

engine/lib/users.php in Elgg before 1.8.5 does not properly specify permissions for the useradd action, which allows remote attackers to create arbitrary accounts.

Weakness: CWE-264

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2012-6562?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Elgg Elgg.

## How do I fix CVE-2012-6562?

No fix has been published for CVE-2012-6562 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2012-6562 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2012-6562 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2011-2936](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2011-2936/): SQL injection in Elgg (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2021-4072](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-4072/): Cross-site Scripting (XSS) - Stored in elgg/elgg (critical 9.0)
- [CVE-2011-2935](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2011-2935/): Elgg Reflected XSS Vulnerability (medium 6.1)
- [CVE-2019-11016](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-11016/): Elgg open redirect (medium 6.1)
- [CVE-2021-3980](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-3980/): Exposure of Private Personal Information to an Unauthorized Actor in elgg/elgg (medium 5.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2012-6562 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2012-6562 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in n/a, published on 23 May 2013. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2012-6562 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-2012-6562/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-6562/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2012-6562
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-6562
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2012-6562

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-6562/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.