CVE-2004-2234 in Moodle
Summary
by MITRE
Unknown vulnerability in Moodle before 1.2 allows teachers to log in as administrators.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/19/2017
This vulnerability exists within the Moodle learning management system version 1.2 and earlier, representing a critical access control flaw that undermines the security architecture of educational platforms. The vulnerability allows authenticated users with teacher privileges to escalate their privileges and assume administrative roles within the system, creating a significant risk to institutional data integrity and user privacy. This issue stems from insufficient authorization checks and improper privilege validation mechanisms within the authentication and session management components of the platform.
The technical flaw manifests through a design weakness in the role-based access control implementation where the system fails to properly verify user permissions when transitioning between teacher and administrator accounts. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability can manipulate session tokens or authentication flows to gain elevated privileges without proper authorization. This weakness directly correlates to CWE-285, which addresses insufficient authorization checks, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.1.001 for valid accounts usage. The vulnerability specifically affects the authentication subsystem where role validation occurs, allowing unauthorized privilege escalation through manipulated access requests.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it enables teachers to perform administrative functions such as modifying user accounts, accessing sensitive course materials, altering system configurations, and potentially exfiltrating confidential data. Educational institutions utilizing affected Moodle versions face significant risks including data breaches, unauthorized course modifications, and potential system compromise that could affect thousands of users. The vulnerability's exploitation does not require advanced technical skills, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged by insiders or external attackers with minimal resources. Organizations may experience regulatory compliance violations and reputational damage due to unauthorized access to student and institutional data.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate system updates to Moodle version 1.2 or later, which contain the necessary patches to address the privilege escalation vulnerability. Organizations should implement comprehensive access control reviews and ensure proper role-based permissions are enforced throughout the system. Network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect unauthorized privilege escalation attempts. Additionally, regular security audits of authentication mechanisms and privilege management should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities. The remediation process should include comprehensive user access reviews and implementation of multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts to reduce the impact of potential privilege escalation attacks. Security teams should also monitor for any indicators of compromise related to administrative account usage and implement proper logging and alerting mechanisms for suspicious authentication patterns.