CVE-2011-4289 in Moodle
Summary
by MITRE
Moodle 2.0.x before 2.0.3 does not recognize the configuration setting that makes e-mail addresses visible only to course members, which allows remote authenticated users to obtain sensitive address information by reading a full profile page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/06/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-4289 affects Moodle 2.0.x versions prior to 2.0.3, specifically targeting the platform's user profile privacy controls. This issue represents a significant configuration oversight that undermines the intended security model for user information protection within educational environments. The flaw exists in the core profile display logic where the system fails to properly enforce the email visibility settings configured by administrators, creating an unintended information disclosure channel that compromises user privacy.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the improper validation and enforcement of email visibility configuration parameters within Moodle's user profile system. When administrators configure the platform to restrict email address visibility to course members only, the system should ensure that external users cannot access full profile information containing email addresses. However, the vulnerability allows authenticated users who are not enrolled in specific courses to bypass these restrictions through direct profile page access, effectively circumventing the intended access controls. This represents a failure in input validation and access control enforcement mechanisms that should be implemented at the application level to maintain data confidentiality.
The operational impact of CVE-2011-4289 extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it creates potential risks for user privacy and data protection within academic institutions that rely on Moodle for their learning management systems. Remote authenticated users can exploit this vulnerability to collect email addresses of individuals not directly associated with their courses, potentially enabling social engineering attacks, spam campaigns, or other malicious activities targeting users within the educational environment. The vulnerability affects the fundamental trust model of the platform, where users expect their contact information to be protected according to the configured privacy settings, and administrators expect the system to enforce these policies consistently.
Organizations using affected Moodle versions should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to Moodle 2.0.3 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address this configuration enforcement issue. Additionally, administrators should review and audit existing privacy settings to ensure that email visibility configurations are properly enforced, and consider implementing additional monitoring to detect unauthorized profile access attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1566 related to credential access through information discovery. Organizations should also consider implementing network-level controls and access monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts, while ensuring that all users understand the importance of maintaining proper privacy configurations in educational platforms.