CVE-2020-14321: Moodle/moodle Moodle Incorrect Authorization Vulnerability Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-9q29-jcjw-fw7h
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CVSS 8.8
CWE-863
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-14321 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.8) moodle incorrect authorization vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization) affecting Moodle/moodle libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves moodle incorrect authorization vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.9.1, 3.8.4, 3.7.7, 3.5.13.

CVE-2020-14321 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-14321
GHSA Identifier GHSA-9q29-jcjw-fw7h
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.8
CWE Classification CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization
Affected Product Moodle/moodle
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.8

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:H/I:H/A:H).

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 High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2020-14321

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: 3.9.1 
Upgrade moodle/moodle to 3.9.1
moodle/moodle fixed: 3.8.4 
Upgrade moodle/moodle to 3.8.4
moodle/moodle fixed: 3.7.7 
Upgrade moodle/moodle to 3.7.7
moodle/moodle fixed: 3.5.13 
Upgrade moodle/moodle to 3.5.13
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-2020-14321, 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 3.9.1), 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-863: Incorrect Authorization, where the product performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check. 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 before 3.9.1, 3.8.4, 3.7.7 and 3.5.13, teachers of a course were able to assign themselves the manager role within that course.

CVE-2020-14321 Affected Moodle/moodle Versions

4 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.9.13.8.43.7.73.5.13
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
moodle/moodle
 Packagist
≥ 3.9.0-beta
< 3.9.1
3.9.1
moodle/moodle
 Packagist
≥ 3.8.0-beta
< 3.8.4
3.8.4
moodle/moodle
 Packagist
≥ 3.6.0-beta
< 3.7.7
3.7.7
moodle/moodle
 Packagist
< 3.5.13
3.5.13

References

NVD — CVE-2020-14321 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-14321
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/moodle/moodle/commit/d07fb8b9e8bf47fe60ad2aea553329bd1fb96e37
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=407393

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-14321?
CVE-2020-14321 is a security vulnerability in Moodle/moodle involving Moodle Incorrect Authorization vulnerability under CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization.
Which Moodle/moodle versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.9.1, 3.8.4, 3.7.7, 3.5.13 across affected packages: moodle/moodle.
What version fixes CVE-2020-14321?
Upgrading to 3.9.1, 3.8.4, 3.7.7, 3.5.13 (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 3.9.1, 3.8.4, 3.7.7, 3.5.13. Upgrade your dependency to 3.9.1, 3.8.4, 3.7.7, 3.5.13 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-14321?
CVE-2020-14321 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-14321?
CVE-2020-14321 is classified under CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization (The product performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2020-14321?
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-9q29-jcjw-fw7h",
  "modified" : "2025-05-08T17:35:51Z",
  "published" : "2022-08-17T00:00:17Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-14321" ],
  "summary" : "Moodle Incorrect Authorization vulnerability",
  "details" : "In Moodle before 3.9.1, 3.8.4, 3.7.7 and 3.5.13, teachers of a course were able to assign themselves the manager role within that course.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "moodle/moodle"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.9.0-beta"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.9.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
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      "name" : "moodle/moodle"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.8.0-beta"
      }, {
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      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "moodle/moodle"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.6.0-beta"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.7.7"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "moodle/moodle"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.5.13"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-14321"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/moodle/moodle/commit/d07fb8b9e8bf47fe60ad2aea553329bd1fb96e37"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/moodle/moodle"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=407393"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-863" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-05-08T17:35:51Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-08-16T21:15:00Z"
  }
}