CVE-2023-5539: Moodle/moodle Moodle Code Injection Vulnerability Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-3xxm-3g3c-w579
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CVSS 4.7
CWE-94
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-5539 is a MODERATE (CVSS 4.7) moodle code injection vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')) affecting Moodle/moodle libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves moodle code injection vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.3.0-rc2.

CVE-2023-5539 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-5539
GHSA Identifier GHSA-3xxm-3g3c-w579
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 4.7
CWE Classification CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')
Affected Product Moodle/moodle
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 4.7

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required High (PR:H)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality Low (C:L)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability Low (A:L)

How to Fix CVE-2023-5539

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Moodle/moodle dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

moodle/moodle fixed: 4.3.0-rc2 
Upgrade moodle/moodle to 4.3.0-rc2
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for moodle/moodle

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2023-5539, inspect your project dependencies for Moodle/moodle:

inspect dependencies for moodle/moodle

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Moodle/moodle in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.3.0-rc2), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment. In Moodle/moodle, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

A remote code execution risk was identified in the Lesson activity. By default this was only available to teachers and managers.

CVE-2023-5539 Affected Moodle/moodle Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.3.0-rc2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
moodle/moodle
 Packagist
< 4.3.0-rc2
4.3.0-rc2

References

NVD — CVE-2023-5539 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-5539
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/moodle/moodle/commit/ba974a4add981743b5a37c5bcc4714c62f6052ce
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2243352
Moodle/moodle Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/moodle/moodle
moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.p... WEB
https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=451580
git.moodle.org/gw WEB
http://git.moodle.org/gw?p=moodle.git&a=search&h=HEAD&st=commit&s=MDL-79408

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-5539?
CVE-2023-5539 is a security vulnerability in Moodle/moodle involving Moodle Code Injection vulnerability under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection').
Which Moodle/moodle versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.3.0-rc2 across affected packages: moodle/moodle.
What version fixes CVE-2023-5539?
Upgrading to 4.3.0-rc2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is moodle/moodle affected?
Yes, moodle/moodle is affected in releases prior to 4.3.0-rc2. Upgrade your dependency to 4.3.0-rc2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-5539?
CVE-2023-5539 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.7 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-5539?
CVE-2023-5539 is classified under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection') (The product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2023-5539?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for moodle/moodle'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-3xxm-3g3c-w579",
  "modified" : "2023-11-09T22:08:14Z",
  "published" : "2023-11-09T21:30:38Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-5539" ],
  "summary" : "Moodle Code Injection vulnerability",
  "details" : "A remote code execution risk was identified in the Lesson activity. By default this was only available to teachers and managers.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "moodle/moodle"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.3.0-rc2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-5539"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/moodle/moodle/commit/ba974a4add981743b5a37c5bcc4714c62f6052ce"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2243352"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/moodle/moodle"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=451580"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://git.moodle.org/gw?p=moodle.git&a=search&h=HEAD&st=commit&s=MDL-79408"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-94" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-11-09T22:08:14Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-11-09T20:15:08Z"
  }
}