CVE-2017-7489: Moodle/moodle Moodle External Blog Editing Takeover Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-m34m-fgh4-v7cx
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CVSS 6.3
CWE-269
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2017-7489 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.3) moodle external blog editing takeover vulnerability (CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management) affecting Moodle/moodle libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves moodle external blog editing takeover. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.2.3, 3.1.6, 3.0.10, 2.7.20.

CVE-2017-7489 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2017-7489
GHSA Identifier GHSA-m34m-fgh4-v7cx
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.3
CWE Classification CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management
Affected Product Moodle/moodle
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.3

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:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L).

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 Low (I:L)
Availability Low (A:L)

How to Fix CVE-2017-7489

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: 3.2.3 
Upgrade moodle/moodle to 3.2.3
moodle/moodle fixed: 3.1.6 
Upgrade moodle/moodle to 3.1.6
moodle/moodle fixed: 3.0.10 
Upgrade moodle/moodle to 3.0.10
moodle/moodle fixed: 2.7.20 
Upgrade moodle/moodle to 2.7.20
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-2017-7489, 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 3.2.3), 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-269: Improper Privilege Management, where the product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor. 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

In Moodle 2.x and 3.x, remote authenticated users can take ownership of arbitrary blogs by editing an external blog link.

CVE-2017-7489 Affected Moodle/moodle Versions

4 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.2.33.1.63.0.102.7.20
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
moodle/moodle
 Packagist
≥ 3.2
< 3.2.3
3.2.3
moodle/moodle
 Packagist
≥ 3.1
< 3.1.6
3.1.6
moodle/moodle
 Packagist
≥ 3.0
< 3.0.10
3.0.10
moodle/moodle
 Packagist
≥ 2.7
< 2.7.20
2.7.20

References

NVD — CVE-2017-7489 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-7489
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=352353

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2017-7489?
CVE-2017-7489 is a security vulnerability in Moodle/moodle involving Moodle External blog editing takeover under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management.
Which Moodle/moodle versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.2.3, 3.1.6, 3.0.10, 2.7.20 across affected packages: moodle/moodle.
What version fixes CVE-2017-7489?
Upgrading to 3.2.3, 3.1.6, 3.0.10, 2.7.20 (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 3.2.3, 3.1.6, 3.0.10, 2.7.20. Upgrade your dependency to 3.2.3, 3.1.6, 3.0.10, 2.7.20 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2017-7489?
CVE-2017-7489 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.3 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2017-7489?
CVE-2017-7489 is classified under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management (The product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2017-7489?
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-m34m-fgh4-v7cx",
  "modified" : "2024-04-24T17:30:08Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-13T01:46:59Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2017-7489" ],
  "summary" : "Moodle External blog editing takeover",
  "details" : "In Moodle 2.x and 3.x, remote authenticated users can take ownership of arbitrary blogs by editing an external blog link.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "moodle/moodle"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.2"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.2.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "moodle/moodle"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.1.6"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "moodle/moodle"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.0.10"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "moodle/moodle"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.7"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.7.20"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-7489"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/moodle/moodle"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=352353"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-269" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-04-24T17:30:08Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2017-05-15T14:29:00Z"
  }
}