CVE-2015-5331: Moodle/moodle Moodle Improper Access Control Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-m7cc-6vhg-39wr
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CVSS 4.3
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2015-5331 is a MODERATE (CVSS 4.3) moodle improper access control vulnerability (General Security Weakness) affecting Moodle/moodle libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves moodle improper access control. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.9.3.

CVE-2015-5331 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2015-5331
GHSA Identifier GHSA-m7cc-6vhg-39wr
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 4.3
CWE Classification General Security Weakness
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:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/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 None (C:N)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2015-5331

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: 2.9.3 
Upgrade moodle/moodle to 2.9.3
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-2015-5331, 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 2.9.3), 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 General Security Weakness. 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

Moodle 2.9.x before 2.9.3 does not properly check the contact list before authorizing message transmission, which allows remote authenticated users to bypass intended access restrictions and conduct spam attacks via the messaging API.

CVE-2015-5331 Affected Moodle/moodle Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.9.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
moodle/moodle
 Packagist
≥ 2.9.0
< 2.9.3
2.9.3

References

NVD — CVE-2015-5331 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-5331
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/moodle/moodle/commit/cd0c9ac87d75b3d893d61df21e3ecfd12c065c1f
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=323228
git.moodle.org/gw WEB
http://git.moodle.org/gw?p=moodle.git&a=search&h=HEAD&st=commit&s=MDL-50426

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2015-5331?
CVE-2015-5331 is a security vulnerability in Moodle/moodle involving Moodle improper access control under General Security Weakness.
Which Moodle/moodle versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.9.3 across affected packages: moodle/moodle.
What version fixes CVE-2015-5331?
Upgrading to 2.9.3 (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 2.9.3. Upgrade your dependency to 2.9.3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2015-5331?
CVE-2015-5331 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.3 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2015-5331?
CVE-2015-5331 is classified under General Security Weakness.
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2015-5331?
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-m7cc-6vhg-39wr",
  "modified" : "2023-12-07T19:49:34Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-13T01:12:49Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2015-5331" ],
  "summary" : "Moodle improper access control",
  "details" : "Moodle 2.9.x before 2.9.3 does not properly check the contact list before authorizing message transmission, which allows remote authenticated users to bypass intended access restrictions and conduct spam attacks via the messaging API.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "moodle/moodle"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.9.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.9.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-5331"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/moodle/moodle/commit/cd0c9ac87d75b3d893d61df21e3ecfd12c065c1f"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/moodle/moodle"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=323228"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://git.moodle.org/gw?p=moodle.git&a=search&h=HEAD&st=commit&s=MDL-50426"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-08-01T20:15:51Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2016-02-22T05:59:00Z"
  }
}