CVE-2022-41948: DHIS 2 is an open source information system for data capture, management, validation, analytics and visualization. Affected versions are subject to a ...

Description

DHIS 2 is an open source information system for data capture, management, validation, analytics and visualization. Affected versions are subject to a privilege escalation vulnerability. A DHIS2 user with authority to manage users can assign superuser privileges to themself by manually crafting an HTTP PUT request. Only users with the following DHIS2 user role authorities can exploit this vulnerability. Note that in many systems the only users with user admin privileges are also superusers. In these cases, the escalation vulnerability does not exist. The vulnerability is only exploitable by attackers who can authenticate as users with the user admin authority. As this is usually a small and relatively trusted set of users, exploit vectors will often be limited. DHIS2 administrators should upgrade to the following hotfix releases: 2.36.12.1, 2.37.8.1, 2.38.2.1, 2.39.0.1. The only known workaround to this issue is to avoid the assignment of the user management authority to any users until the patch has been applied.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

7.2/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS Probability

0.60%

44.2th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-269

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Dhis2	Dhis 2	>= 2.34.0, < 2.36.12.1
Dhis2	Dhis 2	>= 2.37.0, < 2.37.8.1
Dhis2	Dhis 2	>= 2.38.0, < 2.38.2.1
Dhis2	Dhis 2	2.39.0

References

https://github.com/dhis2/dhis2-core/security/advisories/GHSA-59fm-8432-2426Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/dhis2/dhis2-core/security/advisories/GHSA-59fm-8432-2426Third Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: Dec 8, 2022
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-41948?

DHIS 2 is an open source information system for data capture, management, validation, analytics and visualization. Affected versions are subject to a privilege escalation vulnerability. A DHIS2 user with authority to manage users can assign superuser privileges to themself by manually crafting an HTTP PUT request. Only users with the following DHIS2 user role authorities can exploit this vulnerability. Note that in many systems the only users with user admin privileges are also superusers. In these cases, the escalation vulnerability does not exist. The vulnerability is only exploitable by attackers who can authenticate as users with the user admin authority. As this is usually a small and relatively trusted set of users, exploit vectors will often be limited. DHIS2 administrators should upgrade to the following hotfix releases: 2.36.12.1, 2.37.8.1, 2.38.2.1, 2.39.0.1. The only known workaround to this issue is to avoid the assignment of the user management authority to any users until the patch has been applied.

How severe is CVE-2022-41948?

CVE-2022-41948 has a CVSS score of 7.2/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.60% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2022-41948?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.