CVE-2011-4281: Moodle Package Vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery
Summary
CVE-2011-4281: Moodle vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery. Affects moodle/moodle versions >= 2.0.0, < 2.0.2. Fixed in 2.0.2. How to fix ↓
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Background
Moodle is an open-source learning platform designed to provide educators, administrators, and learners with a single robust, secure, and integrated system to create personalized learning environments. It is widely used in educational institutions for course management and online learning. However, certain versions of Moodle (specifically 2.0.x before 2.0.2) have been found to be vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) attacks, which can compromise user authentication and lead to unauthorized actions within the platform.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability arises from multiple CSRF flaws in Moodle versions 2.0.x prior to 2.0.2. These flaws allow remote attackers to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users, enabling them to perform unauthorized actions such as marking the completion of activities or courses. This can lead to significant security risks, including unauthorized access to sensitive information and manipulation of user progress within the system.
How To Fix
Minimum fixed version
2.0.2
This is the first release that contains the fix.
composer require moodle/moodle:2.0.2Tip — Not sure which version your app runs? Vulert can match this fix to it. Scan free →
Workaround
As a temporary workaround, consider implementing CSRF tokens in your application to validate requests and ensure they originate from authenticated users. This can help mitigate the risk of CSRF attacks until the package is updated.
Conclusion
The CSRF vulnerabilities in Moodle versions 2.0.x before 2.0.2 pose significant security risks that can be mitigated by updating to version 2.0.2 or later. It is crucial for users to be aware of these vulnerabilities and take necessary actions to protect their systems.
See every vulnerability recorded for moodle/moodle →
FAQ
CSRF is a type of attack that tricks the victim into submitting a malicious request, allowing an attacker to perform actions on behalf of the victim without their consent.
If you are using Moodle version 2.0.x prior to 2.0.2, your installation is vulnerable. You can check your version in the admin settings or by using Vulert's playground at Vulert Scanner.
Exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to unauthorized actions being taken on behalf of users, potentially compromising sensitive data and user progress within courses.
Yes, you can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts in real-time for open-source vulnerabilities in your software by analyzing the composer.lock file.
If an immediate update is not possible, implement CSRF tokens as a temporary measure to help protect against potential CSRF attacks.
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