CVE-2023-5542: Moodle/moodle Moodle Improper Access Control Vulnerability Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-8mm2-m2gp-c6x2
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CVSS 4.3
CWE-668 CWE-284
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-5542 is a MODERATE (CVSS 4.3) moodle improper access control vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere) affecting Moodle/moodle libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves moodle improper access control vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.3.0-rc2.

CVE-2023-5542 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-5542
GHSA Identifier GHSA-8mm2-m2gp-c6x2
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 4.3
CWE Classification CWE-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere
Affected Product Moodle/moodle
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 4.3

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2023-5542

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-2023-5542, 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-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere, where the product exposes a resource to the wrong control sphere, providing unintended actors with inappropriate access to the resource. 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

Students in "Only see own membership" groups could see other students in the group, which should be hidden.

CVE-2023-5542 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-2023-5542 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-5542
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/moodle/moodle/commit/b0bb97ee3b481dd85d8f1ed3612f70c9d1939014
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2243441
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=451583
git.moodle.org/gw WEB
http://git.moodle.org/gw?p=moodle.git&a=search&h=HEAD&st=commit&s=MDL-79213

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-5542?
CVE-2023-5542 is a security vulnerability in Moodle/moodle involving Moodle Improper Access Control vulnerability under CWE-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere.
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-2023-5542?
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-2023-5542?
CVE-2023-5542 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.3 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-5542?
CVE-2023-5542 is classified under CWE-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere (The product exposes a resource to the wrong control sphere, providing unintended actors with inappropriate access to the resource.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2023-5542?
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-8mm2-m2gp-c6x2",
  "modified" : "2023-11-17T21:57:45Z",
  "published" : "2023-11-09T21:30:38Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-5542" ],
  "summary" : "Moodle Improper Access Control vulnerability",
  "details" : "Students in \"Only see own membership\" groups could see other students in the group, which should be hidden.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "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-2023-5542"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/moodle/moodle/commit/b0bb97ee3b481dd85d8f1ed3612f70c9d1939014"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2243441"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/moodle/moodle"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=451583"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://git.moodle.org/gw?p=moodle.git&a=search&h=HEAD&st=commit&s=MDL-79213"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-284", "CWE-668" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-11-10T00:40:49Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-11-09T20:15:09Z"
  }
}