CVE-2015-5269: Moodle/moodle Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-5729-822w-j342
CVSS 5.4
CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2015-5269 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.4) cross-site scripting vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Moodle/moodle libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves moodle cross-site scripting (xss) vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.7.10, 2.8.8, 2.9.2.

CVE-2015-5269 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2015-5269
GHSA Identifier GHSA-5729-822w-j342
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.4
CWE Classification CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Affected Product Moodle/moodle
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.4

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N).

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

How to Fix CVE-2015-5269

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: 2.7.10
Upgrade moodle/moodle to 2.7.10
moodle/moodle fixed: 2.8.8
Upgrade moodle/moodle to 2.8.8
moodle/moodle fixed: 2.9.2
Upgrade moodle/moodle to 2.9.2
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-2015-5269, 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 2.7.10), 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-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting'), where the product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users. 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

Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in group/overview.php in Moodle through 2.6.11, 2.7.x before 2.7.10, 2.8.x before 2.8.8, and 2.9.x before 2.9.2 allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a modified grouping description.

CVE-2015-5269 Affected Moodle/moodle Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.7.102.8.82.9.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
moodle/moodle
Packagist
< 2.7.10
2.7.10
moodle/moodle
Packagist
≥ 2.8.0
< 2.8.8
2.8.8
moodle/moodle
Packagist
≥ 2.9.0
< 2.9.2
2.9.2

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2015-5269?
CVE-2015-5269 is a security vulnerability in Moodle/moodle involving Moodle cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which Moodle/moodle versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.7.10, 2.8.8, 2.9.2 across affected packages: moodle/moodle.
What version fixes CVE-2015-5269?
Upgrading to 2.7.10, 2.8.8, 2.9.2 (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 2.7.10, 2.8.8, 2.9.2. Upgrade your dependency to 2.7.10, 2.8.8, 2.9.2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2015-5269?
CVE-2015-5269 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.4 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2015-5269?
CVE-2015-5269 is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') (The product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2015-5269?
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
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-5729-822w-j342",
  "modified" : "2024-01-26T20:10:13Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-13T01:12:47Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2015-5269" ],
  "summary" : "Moodle cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability",
  "details" : "Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in group/overview.php in Moodle through 2.6.11, 2.7.x before 2.7.10, 2.8.x before 2.8.8, and 2.9.x before 2.9.2 allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a modified grouping description.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "moodle/moodle"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.7.10"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "moodle/moodle"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.8.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.8.8"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "moodle/moodle"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.9.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.9.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-5269"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/moodle/moodle/commit/45f3b5302d645ba13ca8b68b0106a638ebd21980"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/moodle/moodle/commit/a44fed5c804b52e82c334c37dcc1c12b77f97af8"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/moodle/moodle/commit/ae6b18a9343083c1ab62d6eb535a7112bd7a3a50"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/moodle/moodle/commit/fa5a3cdedcd92bd96881fa89a6ff5efd80bd3512"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/moodle/moodle"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=320293"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20160323063809/http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1033619"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://git.moodle.org/gw?p=moodle.git&a=search&h=HEAD&st=commit&s=MDL-50709"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2015/09/21/1"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-01-26T20:10:13Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2016-02-22T05:59:00Z"
  }
}