CVE-2023-5549: Moodle/moodle Moodle Improper Access Control Vulnerability Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-fm5h-58g2-4m3f
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CVSS 5.3
CWE-284 CWE-269
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-5549 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.3) moodle improper access control vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-284: Improper Access Control) affecting Moodle/moodle libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves moodle improper access control vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.3.0-rc2.

CVE-2023-5549 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-5549
GHSA Identifier GHSA-fm5h-58g2-4m3f
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.3
CWE Classification CWE-284: Improper Access Control
Affected Product Moodle/moodle
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.3

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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 None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality None (C:N)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2023-5549

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: 4.3.0-rc2 
Upgrade moodle/moodle to 4.3.0-rc2
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-2023-5549, 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 4.3.0-rc2), 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

Insufficient web service capability checks made it possible to move categories a user had permission to manage, to a parent category they did not have the capability to manage.

CVE-2023-5549 Affected Moodle/moodle Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.3.0-rc2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
moodle/moodle
 Packagist
< 4.3.0-rc2
4.3.0-rc2

References

NVD — CVE-2023-5549 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-5549
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/moodle/moodle/commit/5a765e124c950b1e4313c9bf96ea2dd194f65c75
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2243451
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=451590
git.moodle.org/gw WEB
http://git.moodle.org/gw?p=moodle.git&a=search&h=HEAD&st=commit&s=MDL-66730

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-5549?
CVE-2023-5549 is a security vulnerability in Moodle/moodle involving Moodle Improper Access Control vulnerability under CWE-284: Improper Access Control.
Which Moodle/moodle versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.3.0-rc2 across affected packages: moodle/moodle.
What version fixes CVE-2023-5549?
Upgrading to 4.3.0-rc2 (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 4.3.0-rc2. Upgrade your dependency to 4.3.0-rc2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-5549?
CVE-2023-5549 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.3 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-5549?
CVE-2023-5549 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-2023-5549?
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-fm5h-58g2-4m3f",
  "modified" : "2023-11-17T22:00:31Z",
  "published" : "2023-11-09T21:30:39Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-5549" ],
  "summary" : "Moodle Improper Access Control vulnerability",
  "details" : "Insufficient web service capability checks made it possible to move categories a user had permission to manage, to a parent category they did not have the capability to manage.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "moodle/moodle"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.3.0-rc2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-5549"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/moodle/moodle/commit/5a765e124c950b1e4313c9bf96ea2dd194f65c75"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2243451"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/moodle/moodle"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=451590"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://git.moodle.org/gw?p=moodle.git&a=search&h=HEAD&st=commit&s=MDL-66730"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-269", "CWE-284" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-11-10T00:42:19Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-11-09T20:15:10Z"
  }
}