CVE-2020-25629: Moodle/moodle Moodle Incorrect Access Control Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-f5r8-7h4f-jr9x
Share
CVSS 8.8
CWE-284 CWE-862
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-25629 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.8) moodle incorrect access control vulnerability (CWE-284: Improper Access Control) affecting Moodle/moodle libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves moodle incorrect access control. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.9.2, 3.8.5, 3.7.8, 3.5.14.

CVE-2020-25629 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-25629
GHSA Identifier GHSA-f5r8-7h4f-jr9x
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.8
CWE Classification CWE-284: Improper Access Control
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-2020-25629

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: 3.9.2 
Upgrade moodle/moodle to 3.9.2
moodle/moodle fixed: 3.8.5 
Upgrade moodle/moodle to 3.8.5
moodle/moodle fixed: 3.7.8 
Upgrade moodle/moodle to 3.7.8
moodle/moodle fixed: 3.5.14 
Upgrade moodle/moodle to 3.5.14
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-2020-25629, 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 3.9.2), 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-284: Improper Access Control, where the product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource 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

A vulnerability was found in Moodle where users with "Log in as" capability in a course context (typically, course managers) may gain access to some site administration capabilities by "logging in as" a System manager. This affects 3.9 to 3.9.1, 3.8 to 3.8.4, 3.7 to 3.7.7, 3.5 to 3.5.13 and earlier unsupported versions. This is fixed in 3.9.2, 3.8.5, 3.7.8 and 3.5.14.

CVE-2020-25629 Affected Moodle/moodle Versions

4 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.9.23.8.53.7.83.5.14
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
moodle/moodle
 Packagist
≥ 3.9
< 3.9.2
3.9.2
moodle/moodle
 Packagist
≥ 3.8
< 3.8.5
3.8.5
moodle/moodle
 Packagist
≥ 3.7
< 3.7.8
3.7.8
moodle/moodle
 Packagist
≥ 3.5
< 3.5.14
3.5.14

References

NVD — CVE-2020-25629 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-25629
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=410841

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-25629?
CVE-2020-25629 is a security vulnerability in Moodle/moodle involving Moodle incorrect access control under CWE-284: Improper Access Control.
Which Moodle/moodle versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.9.2, 3.8.5, 3.7.8, 3.5.14 across affected packages: moodle/moodle.
What version fixes CVE-2020-25629?
Upgrading to 3.9.2, 3.8.5, 3.7.8, 3.5.14 (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 3.9.2, 3.8.5, 3.7.8, 3.5.14. Upgrade your dependency to 3.9.2, 3.8.5, 3.7.8, 3.5.14 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-25629?
CVE-2020-25629 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-2020-25629?
CVE-2020-25629 is classified under CWE-284: Improper Access Control (The product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2020-25629?
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-f5r8-7h4f-jr9x",
  "modified" : "2023-08-23T17:55:15Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T17:35:32Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-25629" ],
  "summary" : "Moodle incorrect access control",
  "details" : "A vulnerability was found in Moodle where users with \"Log in as\" capability in a course context (typically, course managers) may gain access to some site administration capabilities by \"logging in as\" a System manager. This affects 3.9 to 3.9.1, 3.8 to 3.8.4, 3.7 to 3.7.7, 3.5 to 3.5.13 and earlier unsupported versions. This is fixed in 3.9.2, 3.8.5, 3.7.8 and 3.5.14.",
  "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"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.9.2"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 3.9.1"
    }
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "moodle/moodle"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.8"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.8.5"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 3.8.4"
    }
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "moodle/moodle"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.7"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.7.8"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 3.7.7"
    }
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "moodle/moodle"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.5"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.5.14"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 3.5.13"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-25629"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/moodle/moodle"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=410841"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-284", "CWE-862" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-07-13T22:41:47Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-12-08T01:15:00Z"
  }
}