CVE-2011-4278: Moodle/moodle Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-6656-6qwx-4c2m
Share
CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2011-4278 is a MODERATE 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 xss in tag autocomplete functionality. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.9.11, 2.0.2.

CVE-2011-4278 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2011-4278
GHSA Identifier GHSA-6656-6qwx-4c2m
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
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

How to Fix CVE-2011-4278

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: 1.9.11 
Upgrade moodle/moodle to 1.9.11
moodle/moodle fixed: 2.0.2 
Upgrade moodle/moodle to 2.0.2
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-2011-4278, 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 1.9.11), 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 the tag autocomplete functionality in Moodle 1.9.x before 1.9.11 and 2.0.x before 2.0.2 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.

CVE-2011-4278 Affected Moodle/moodle Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.9.112.0.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
moodle/moodle
 Packagist
< 1.9.11
1.9.11
moodle/moodle
 Packagist
≥ 2.0
< 2.0.2
2.0.2

References

NVD — CVE-2011-4278 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2011-4278
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/moodle/moodle/commit/34b93e39a64a68e4a676b93ccf2bd87a1d3b5ef8
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/moodle/moodle/commit/fd29b2ad1c20906da00d7e523f39bc8a0358a65b
Moodle/moodle Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/moodle/moodle
git.moodle.org/gw WEB
http://git.moodle.org/gw?p=moodle.git;a=commit;h=fd29b2ad1c20906da00d7e523f39bc8a0358a65b
moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.p... WEB
http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=170003
Moodle/moodle Security Information SECURITY
http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/11/14/1

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2011-4278?
CVE-2011-4278 is a security vulnerability in Moodle/moodle involving Moodle XSS In Tag Autocomplete functionality 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 1.9.11, 2.0.2 across affected packages: moodle/moodle.
What version fixes CVE-2011-4278?
Upgrading to 1.9.11, 2.0.2 (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 1.9.11, 2.0.2. Upgrade your dependency to 1.9.11, 2.0.2 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2011-4278?
CVE-2011-4278 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-2011-4278?
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-6656-6qwx-4c2m",
  "modified" : "2024-01-17T15:33:00Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-13T01:13:09Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2011-4278" ],
  "summary" : "Moodle XSS In Tag Autocomplete functionality",
  "details" : "Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the tag autocomplete functionality in Moodle 1.9.x before 1.9.11 and 2.0.x before 2.0.2 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.",
  "severity" : [ ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "moodle/moodle"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.9.11"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "moodle/moodle"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.0.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2011-4278"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/moodle/moodle/commit/34b93e39a64a68e4a676b93ccf2bd87a1d3b5ef8"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/moodle/moodle/commit/fd29b2ad1c20906da00d7e523f39bc8a0358a65b"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/moodle/moodle"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://git.moodle.org/gw?p=moodle.git;a=commit;h=fd29b2ad1c20906da00d7e523f39bc8a0358a65b"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=170003"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/11/14/1"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-01-17T15:33:00Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2012-07-16T10:28:00Z"
  }
}