CVE-2019-14879: Moodle/moodle Moodle Does Not Revoke Role Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-g9m2-c2x5-fr2v
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CVSS 5.4
CWE-273
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2019-14879 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.4) moodle does not revoke role vulnerability (CWE-273: Improper Check for Dropped Privileges) affecting Moodle/moodle libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves moodle does not revoke role capabilities correctly. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.7.3, 3.6.7, 3.5.9.

CVE-2019-14879 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2019-14879
GHSA Identifier GHSA-g9m2-c2x5-fr2v
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.4
CWE Classification CWE-273: Improper Check for Dropped Privileges
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:N/S:U/C:L/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 Low (C:L)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2019-14879

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: 3.7.3 
Upgrade moodle/moodle to 3.7.3
moodle/moodle fixed: 3.6.7 
Upgrade moodle/moodle to 3.6.7
moodle/moodle fixed: 3.5.9 
Upgrade moodle/moodle to 3.5.9
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-2019-14879, 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 3.7.3), 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-273: Improper Check for Dropped Privileges, where the product attempts to drop privileges but does not check or incorrectly checks to see if the drop succeeded. 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

A vulnerability was found in Moodle versions 3.7.x before 3.7.3, 3.6.x before 3.6.7 and 3.5.x before 3.5.9. When a cohort role assignment was removed, the associated capabilities were not being revoked (where applicable).

CVE-2019-14879 Affected Moodle/moodle Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.7.33.6.73.5.9
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
moodle/moodle
 Packagist
≥ 3.7.0
< 3.7.3
3.7.3
moodle/moodle
 Packagist
≥ 3.6.0
< 3.6.7
3.6.7
moodle/moodle
 Packagist
≥ 3.5.0
< 3.5.9
3.5.9

References

NVD — CVE-2019-14879 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-14879
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/moodle/moodle/commit/7b5f4a62c18fd5bad6956828aade23e1f15b4be3
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2019-14879

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-14879?
CVE-2019-14879 is a security vulnerability in Moodle/moodle involving Moodle does not revoke role capabilities correctly under CWE-273: Improper Check for Dropped Privileges.
Which Moodle/moodle versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.7.3, 3.6.7, 3.5.9 across affected packages: moodle/moodle.
What version fixes CVE-2019-14879?
Upgrading to 3.7.3, 3.6.7, 3.5.9 (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 3.7.3, 3.6.7, 3.5.9. Upgrade your dependency to 3.7.3, 3.6.7, 3.5.9 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2019-14879?
CVE-2019-14879 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.4 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2019-14879?
CVE-2019-14879 is classified under CWE-273: Improper Check for Dropped Privileges (The product attempts to drop privileges but does not check or incorrectly checks to see if the drop succeeded.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2019-14879?
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-g9m2-c2x5-fr2v",
  "modified" : "2023-08-01T23:39:36Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T17:05:43Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2019-14879" ],
  "summary" : "Moodle does not revoke role capabilities correctly",
  "details" : "A vulnerability was found in Moodle versions 3.7.x before 3.7.3, 3.6.x before 3.6.7 and 3.5.x before 3.5.9. When a cohort role assignment was removed, the associated capabilities were not being revoked (where applicable).",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "moodle/moodle"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.7.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.7.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "moodle/moodle"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.6.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.6.7"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "moodle/moodle"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.5.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.5.9"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-14879"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/moodle/moodle/commit/7b5f4a62c18fd5bad6956828aade23e1f15b4be3"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2019-14879"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-273" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-08-01T23:39:36Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-01-07T17:15:00Z"
  }
}