CVE-2020-37114: OpenEclass Information Disclosure Flaw

CVE-2020-37114 Overview

CVE-2020-37114 is an information disclosure vulnerability affecting GUnet OpenEclass 1.7.3, an open-source e-learning platform. The vulnerability allows both unauthenticated and authenticated users to access sensitive information due to improper access controls and information disclosure flaws in various modules. Attackers can retrieve system information, application version details, and view or download other users' files—including uploaded student assessments—without proper authorization.

Critical Impact

Unauthorized access to sensitive student data and system information, potentially compromising academic integrity and exposing personally identifiable information in educational environments.

Affected Products

• GUnet OpenEclass 1.7.3
• OpenEclass e-learning platform installations running vulnerable versions

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-03 - CVE CVE-2020-37114 published to NVD
• 2026-02-04 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2020-37114

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability falls under CWE-200 (Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor). The flaw exists within OpenEclass's access control mechanisms across multiple modules, allowing users to bypass authorization checks and access resources they should not have permission to view.

The information disclosure occurs at the network level and requires low complexity to exploit. An attacker with low privileges can access sensitive data without any user interaction required. While the vulnerability is limited to confidentiality impact and does not affect system integrity or availability, the exposure of student assessment files and system information poses significant privacy and security risks in educational environments.

Root Cause

The root cause stems from improper access control implementation within various OpenEclass modules. The application fails to properly validate user permissions before serving sensitive content, including:

• System information disclosure endpoints lacking authentication requirements
• Application version information accessible to unauthenticated users
• Student assessment files accessible across user boundaries due to missing authorization checks

Attack Vector

The vulnerability is exploitable over the network without requiring special privileges or user interaction. An attacker can leverage the improper access controls by:

1. Directly accessing endpoints that expose system and version information without authentication
2. Enumerating and accessing other users' uploaded assessment files through predictable file paths or identifiers
3. Harvesting sensitive information that could be used for further attacks or privacy violations

Technical details and exploitation methods are documented in the Exploit-DB #48163 entry and the VulnCheck Advisory for OpenEclass.

Detection Methods for CVE-2020-37114

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual access patterns to assessment file directories from unauthorized user sessions
• Multiple requests to system information endpoints from unauthenticated sources
• Access logs showing file downloads for resources belonging to other users
• Enumeration attempts targeting predictable file paths or user identifiers

Detection Strategies

• Monitor web server access logs for unauthorized access to sensitive module endpoints
• Implement anomaly detection for users accessing resources outside their normal scope
• Review authentication logs for attempts to access protected resources without valid sessions
• Deploy web application firewalls (WAF) with rules to detect information disclosure patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging for all file access operations within the OpenEclass application
• Configure alerts for access attempts to system information endpoints from external IP addresses
• Implement user behavior analytics to detect cross-account resource access attempts
• Regularly audit access control configurations across all OpenEclass modules

How to Mitigate CVE-2020-37114

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade OpenEclass to the latest patched version that addresses these access control issues
• Review and restrict access to system information endpoints immediately
• Audit file permissions and access controls for student assessment storage directories
• Implement network-level access restrictions to limit exposure of sensitive endpoints

Patch Information

Organizations running GUnet OpenEclass 1.7.3 should consult the OpenEclass Change Log for details on available security updates. The OpenEclass Official Website provides the latest releases with security fixes applied.

Workarounds

• Implement web application firewall rules to block unauthorized access to sensitive endpoints
• Configure reverse proxy authentication requirements for system information endpoints
• Restrict network access to the OpenEclass installation to trusted IP ranges where possible
• Apply file system permissions to limit direct access to uploaded assessment files

# Example: Restrict access to sensitive directories using Apache configuration
<Directory "/path/to/openeclass/assessments">
    Options -Indexes
    Require valid-user
    AuthType Basic
    AuthName "Restricted Access"
</Directory>

# Block direct access to system information endpoints
<Location "/modules/admin/sysinfo">
    Require ip 192.168.1.0/24
</Location>