CVE-2013-1829 in Moodle
Summary
by MITRE
calendar/managesubscriptions.php in Moodle 2.4.x before 2.4.2 does not consider capability requirements before displaying calendar subscriptions, which allows remote authenticated users to obtain potentially sensitive information by leveraging the student role.
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/25/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-1829 affects Moodle version 2.4.x prior to 2.4.2 and resides within the calendar/managesubscriptions.php component. This issue represents a significant access control flaw that undermines the security model of the learning management system. The vulnerability stems from insufficient capability checks within the calendar subscription management interface, creating a path for unauthorized information disclosure.
The technical flaw manifests in the calendar subsystem where the managesubscriptions.php script fails to validate user capabilities before rendering subscription data. This oversight allows authenticated users with the student role to access calendar subscription information that should be restricted to authorized personnel. The vulnerability specifically targets the capability requirements that should normally prevent student users from viewing subscription details that may contain sensitive scheduling information or access patterns.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability enables remote authenticated attackers to potentially obtain sensitive information through the student role, which could include calendar subscription details, scheduling patterns, or other confidential data that might reveal user activities or institutional planning. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure as it could enable further attacks by providing attackers with insights into user behavior, course schedules, or institutional calendar dependencies. This weakness particularly affects educational institutions that rely on Moodle for managing student information and course scheduling.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control issues, and demonstrates how insufficient privilege checking can lead to unauthorized information access. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this represents a privilege escalation technique where an attacker leverages a lower-privileged role to access restricted functionality. The issue also relates to CWE-352, which covers cross-site request forgery vulnerabilities, as the flaw enables unauthorized access through legitimate authenticated sessions.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing proper capability checks within the calendar subsystem and ensuring that all user interactions with subscription management features require appropriate authorization levels. System administrators should immediately upgrade to Moodle 2.4.2 or later versions where this vulnerability has been patched. Additional protective measures include reviewing and tightening role-based access controls, implementing network segmentation to limit access to sensitive components, and conducting regular security assessments of Moodle installations. Organizations should also consider implementing monitoring solutions to detect unusual access patterns to calendar subscription features and establish incident response procedures for potential exploitation attempts.