CVE-2024-28593: Moodle/moodle Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-f6mh-79vh-2hv7
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CVSS 5.4
CWE-94 CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2024-28593 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.4) cross-site scripting vulnerability (CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')) affecting Moodle/moodle libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves cross-site scripting in moodle chat. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2024-28593 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2024-28593
GHSA Identifier GHSA-f6mh-79vh-2hv7
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.4
CWE Classification CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')
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:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/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 Low (C:L)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2024-28593

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: Latest secure release 
Upgrade moodle/moodle to Latest secure release
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-2024-28593, 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 the patched release), 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-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment. 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

The Chat activity in Moodle 4.3.3 allows students to insert a potentially unwanted HTML A element or IMG element, or HTML content that leads to a performance degradation. NOTE: the vendor's Using_Chat page says "If you know some HTML code, you can use it in your text to do things like insert images, play sounds or create different coloured and sized text." This page also says "Chat is due to be removed from standard Moodle."

CVE-2024-28593 Affected Moodle/moodle Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
moodle/moodle
 Packagist
≤ 4.3.3

References

NVD — CVE-2024-28593 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-28593
docs.moodle.org/403/en/using_chat WEB
https://docs.moodle.org/403/en/Using_Chat
gist.githubusercontent.com/minendie/4f23174687... WEB
https://gist.githubusercontent.com/minendie/4f23174687bc4d8eb7f727d9959b5399/raw/9ce573cebcce5521d9d6f826ab68f3780036b874/CVE-2024-28593.txt
Moodle/moodle Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/moodle/moodle
medium.com/@lamscun/how-do-i-c... WEB
https://medium.com/%40lamscun/how-do-i-change-htmli-from-low-to-critical-your-email-box-is-safe-e7171efd88fe

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-28593?
CVE-2024-28593 is a security vulnerability in Moodle/moodle involving Cross-site Scripting in Moodle Chat under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection').
Which Moodle/moodle versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: moodle/moodle.
What version fixes CVE-2024-28593?
Upgrading to current release patches (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 Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2024-28593?
CVE-2024-28593 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.4 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2024-28593?
CVE-2024-28593 is classified under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection') (The product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2024-28593?
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-f6mh-79vh-2hv7",
  "modified" : "2024-11-05T18:33:53Z",
  "published" : "2024-03-22T15:31:07Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2024-28593" ],
  "summary" : "Cross-site Scripting in Moodle Chat",
  "details" : "The Chat activity in Moodle 4.3.3 allows students to insert a potentially unwanted HTML A element or IMG element, or HTML content that leads to a performance degradation. NOTE: the vendor's Using_Chat page says \"If you know some HTML code, you can use it in your text to do things like insert images, play sounds or create different coloured and sized text.\" This page also says \"Chat is due to be removed from standard Moodle.\"",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:L/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "moodle/moodle"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "4.3.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-28593"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://docs.moodle.org/403/en/Using_Chat"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://gist.githubusercontent.com/minendie/4f23174687bc4d8eb7f727d9959b5399/raw/9ce573cebcce5521d9d6f826ab68f3780036b874/CVE-2024-28593.txt"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/moodle/moodle"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://medium.com/%40lamscun/how-do-i-change-htmli-from-low-to-critical-your-email-box-is-safe-e7171efd88fe"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79", "CWE-94" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-03-22T20:44:44Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2024-03-22T15:15:15Z"
  }
}