CVE-2017-7491: Moodle/moodle Moodle Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-3hmr-948v-5qgq
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CVSS 4.3
CWE-352
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2017-7491 is a MODERATE (CVSS 4.3) moodle cross-site request forgery (csrf) vulnerability (CWE-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)) affecting Moodle/moodle libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves moodle cross-site request forgery (csrf). Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.2.3, 3.1.6, 3.0.10, 2.7.20.

CVE-2017-7491 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2017-7491
GHSA Identifier GHSA-3hmr-948v-5qgq
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 4.3
CWE Classification CWE-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
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:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N).

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

How to Fix CVE-2017-7491

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-2017-7491, 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-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF), where the web application does not, or cannot, sufficiently verify whether a request was intentionally provided by the user who sent the request, which could have originated from an unauthorized 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, a CSRF attack is possible that allows attackers to change the "number of courses displayed in the course overview block" configuration setting.

CVE-2017-7491 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-2017-7491 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-7491
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=352355

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2017-7491?
CVE-2017-7491 is a security vulnerability in Moodle/moodle involving Moodle Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) under CWE-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF).
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-2017-7491?
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-2017-7491?
CVE-2017-7491 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.3 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2017-7491?
CVE-2017-7491 is classified under CWE-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) (The web application does not, or cannot, sufficiently verify whether a request was intentionally provided by the user who sent the request, which could have originated from an unauthorized actor.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2017-7491?
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-3hmr-948v-5qgq",
  "modified" : "2024-04-23T22:41:42Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-17T02:44:21Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2017-7491" ],
  "summary" : "Moodle Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)",
  "details" : "In Moodle 2.x and 3.x, a CSRF attack is possible that allows attackers to change the \"number of courses displayed in the course overview block\" configuration setting.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "moodle/moodle"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.2"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.2.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
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    },
    "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-2017-7491"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/moodle/moodle"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=352355"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-352" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-04-23T22:41:42Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2017-05-15T14:29:00Z"
  }
}