CVE-2025-50195: Chamilo LMS RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2025-50195 Overview

CVE-2025-50195 is an OS Command Injection vulnerability affecting Chamilo, an open-source learning management system (LMS). The vulnerability exists in the /plugin/vchamilo/views/manage.controller.php file in versions prior to 1.11.30. This command injection flaw allows an authenticated attacker with high privileges to execute arbitrary operating system commands on the underlying server, potentially leading to complete system compromise.

Critical Impact

Authenticated attackers with administrative privileges can execute arbitrary OS commands on the server, potentially leading to data exfiltration, system takeover, and lateral movement within the network.

Affected Products

• Chamilo LMS versions prior to 1.11.30
• Chamilo LMS installations using the vchamilo plugin
• All platforms running vulnerable Chamilo LMS versions

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-02 - CVE-2025-50195 published to NVD
• 2026-03-03 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-50195

Vulnerability Analysis

This OS Command Injection vulnerability (CWE-78) affects the Virtual Chamilo (vchamilo) plugin's management controller. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization in the manage.controller.php file, which processes user-supplied data that is subsequently passed to system-level command execution functions.

The attack requires network access and high-level privileges (administrative access) to exploit. Once exploited, an attacker can execute arbitrary commands with the same privileges as the web server process, potentially leading to confidentiality breaches, integrity violations through unauthorized modifications, and availability impacts through service disruption.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-50195 is improper neutralization of special elements used in OS commands. The vulnerable code in /plugin/vchamilo/views/manage.controller.php fails to properly sanitize user-controlled input before incorporating it into system commands. This allows specially crafted input containing shell metacharacters or command separators to break out of the intended command context and execute attacker-controlled commands.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, requiring the attacker to have authenticated access with high privileges to the Chamilo LMS administrative interface. The attacker can craft malicious input containing OS command injection payloads that, when processed by the vulnerable controller, result in arbitrary command execution on the underlying operating system.

The exploitation flow typically involves:

1. Authenticating to the Chamilo LMS with administrative credentials
2. Navigating to the vchamilo plugin management interface
3. Submitting crafted input containing command injection payloads
4. The vulnerable controller passes unsanitized input to system command functions
5. Arbitrary commands execute with web server privileges

The vulnerability is exploited by injecting shell metacharacters or command separators into input fields processed by the manage.controller.php file. For detailed technical information, refer to the GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-c447-v9xq-mmj7.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-50195

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual process spawning from PHP or web server processes (e.g., Apache, Nginx)
• Unexpected network connections originating from the web server
• Anomalous commands in web server access logs targeting /plugin/vchamilo/views/manage.controller.php
• Evidence of shell metacharacters (;, |, &&, ||, backticks) in request parameters

Detection Strategies

• Monitor web application logs for requests to the vchamilo plugin management interface with suspicious parameters
• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect command injection patterns
• Deploy endpoint detection to alert on unusual child processes spawned by PHP/web server processes
• Review system audit logs for unexpected command executions correlated with web server activity

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging for the Chamilo LMS application and web server
• Configure intrusion detection systems (IDS) to monitor for command injection attack signatures
• Implement file integrity monitoring on critical system directories
• Monitor for creation of new files in web-accessible directories that could indicate webshell deployment

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-50195

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade Chamilo LMS to version 1.11.30 or later immediately
• If immediate upgrade is not possible, disable or remove the vchamilo plugin
• Review access logs for evidence of exploitation attempts
• Audit administrative user accounts for unauthorized access

Patch Information

Chamilo has addressed this vulnerability in version 1.11.30. The patch commit is available at GitHub Commit afdbd4bb9a9ea17b7740559dd4e05aa13b16480d. Organizations should upgrade to version 1.11.30 or later by downloading the release from GitHub Release v1.11.30.

Workarounds

• Disable or remove the vchamilo plugin if not actively required
• Restrict administrative access to trusted IP addresses only
• Implement additional WAF rules to block command injection patterns
• Apply principle of least privilege to web server processes

# Disable vchamilo plugin by removing or renaming the directory
mv /var/www/chamilo/plugin/vchamilo /var/www/chamilo/plugin/vchamilo.disabled

# Restrict access to admin interfaces via Apache configuration
<Location "/plugin/vchamilo/">
    Require ip 192.168.1.0/24
</Location>