CVE-2023-5546: Moodle/moodle Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-9724-h8p7-r3jv
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CVSS 5.4
CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-5546 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 vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.3.0-rc2.

CVE-2023-5546 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-5546
GHSA Identifier GHSA-9724-h8p7-r3jv
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:3.1/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-2023-5546

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-2023-5546, 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-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

ID numbers displayed in the quiz grading report required additional sanitizing to prevent a stored XSS risk.

CVE-2023-5546 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-2023-5546 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-5546
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/moodle/moodle/commit/aa8ab48521fe4a57c3ec923e6e82a5ac1202e9de
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2243445
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=451587
git.moodle.org/gw WEB
http://git.moodle.org/gw?p=moodle.git&a=search&h=HEAD&st=commit&s=MDL-78971

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-5546?
CVE-2023-5546 is a security vulnerability in Moodle/moodle involving Moodle Cross-site Scripting 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 4.3.0-rc2 across affected packages: moodle/moodle.
What version fixes CVE-2023-5546?
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-2023-5546?
CVE-2023-5546 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.4 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-5546?
CVE-2023-5546 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-2023-5546?
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-9724-h8p7-r3jv",
  "modified" : "2023-11-15T18:24:31Z",
  "published" : "2023-11-09T21:30:38Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-5546" ],
  "summary" : "Moodle Cross-site Scripting vulnerability",
  "details" : "ID numbers displayed in the quiz grading report required additional sanitizing to prevent a stored XSS risk.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/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" : "4.3.0-rc2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-5546"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/moodle/moodle/commit/aa8ab48521fe4a57c3ec923e6e82a5ac1202e9de"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2243445"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/moodle/moodle"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=451587"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://git.moodle.org/gw?p=moodle.git&a=search&h=HEAD&st=commit&s=MDL-78971"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-11-10T00:41:29Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-11-09T20:15:10Z"
  }
}