CVE-2011-4288 in Moodle
Summary
by MITRE
Moodle 1.9.x before 1.9.12 and 2.0.x before 2.0.3 does not properly implement associations between teachers and groups, which allows remote authenticated users to read quiz reports of arbitrary students by leveraging the teacher role.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/06/2021
The vulnerability described in CVE-2011-4288 represents a critical access control flaw in the Moodle learning management system that affects versions prior to 1.9.12 and 2.0.3. This issue stems from insufficient implementation of teacher-group associations within the platform's permission model, creating a significant security gap that undermines the integrity of student assessment data. The vulnerability specifically targets the quiz reporting functionality where teachers should only have access to reports of students within their assigned groups.
The technical flaw manifests in the improper handling of role-based access controls within Moodle's group management system. When teachers are assigned to specific groups, the system fails to enforce proper boundaries that would prevent them from accessing quiz reports of students outside their designated teaching scope. This misconfiguration allows authenticated users with the teacher role to exploit the system by manipulating the quiz report access mechanism, effectively bypassing the intended group-based restrictions. The vulnerability operates at the application logic level, where the access control checks are either absent or insufficiently enforced.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses a severe risk to educational institutions using Moodle platforms, as it enables unauthorized data access that violates student privacy and academic integrity. An attacker with a teacher account can potentially access confidential assessment information of students from other groups, compromising the privacy of academic records and potentially enabling grade manipulation or academic misconduct. The impact extends beyond simple data exposure to include potential academic fraud and violation of data protection regulations that educational institutions must comply with.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control in software systems, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1068 for additional privileges. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to patched versions of Moodle 1.9.12 or 2.0.3, reviewing and strengthening role-based access controls, and conducting comprehensive audits of teacher-group associations. Additionally, implementing network segmentation and monitoring for unusual access patterns in quiz report modules can help detect potential exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments of learning management systems are essential to identify and remediate similar access control vulnerabilities that could compromise educational data integrity and student privacy.