CVE-2014-0010 in Moodle
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in user/profile/index.php in Moodle through 2.2.11, 2.3.x before 2.3.11, 2.4.x before 2.4.8, 2.5.x before 2.5.4, and 2.6.x before 2.6.1 allow remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that delete (1) categories or (2) fields.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/31/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-0010 represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the Moodle learning management system that affects multiple versions from 2.2.11 through 2.6.1. This vulnerability resides in the user/profile/index.php file and exposes administrators to significant security risks through unauthorized manipulation of course categories and user fields. The flaw stems from the absence of proper CSRF protection mechanisms that should validate the authenticity of requests originating from legitimate administrative sessions. According to CWE-352, this constitutes a classic cross-site request forgery vulnerability where an attacker can trick authenticated users into executing unintended actions without their knowledge or consent, making it a fundamental web application security weakness that directly impacts the integrity and confidentiality of user data.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires an attacker to craft malicious requests that leverage the administrator's authenticated session to perform deletions of course categories or user profile fields. The vulnerability specifically targets the administrative functionality within Moodle's user management system, where legitimate administrative actions can be hijacked through forged requests. This type of attack operates under the principles outlined in the ATT&CK framework under the T1566 technique for credential access through social engineering and session hijacking. The flaw demonstrates a failure in implementing proper request validation mechanisms, particularly the absence of anti-CSRF tokens that would normally be required to verify that requests originate from legitimate administrative interfaces rather than malicious third-party websites or embedded attack vectors.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data deletion, as it allows attackers to fundamentally alter the structure and content of educational institutions' learning management systems. When administrators delete course categories, they can effectively remove entire sections of educational content, disrupting learning processes and potentially compromising academic records. The deletion of user profile fields can result in loss of critical institutional data and user information that may be required for compliance purposes. This vulnerability creates a persistent threat that can remain active for extended periods, as the flaw exists in core administrative functionality that is regularly accessed by system administrators. The attack vector typically involves the embedding of malicious HTML or JavaScript within other websites or email communications, which when visited by an administrator, automatically submits requests to the vulnerable Moodle instance, demonstrating the real-world applicability of the ATT&CK technique T1203 for legitimate credentials acquisition through session manipulation.
Organizations utilizing affected Moodle versions must implement immediate remediation measures including applying the official patches released by Moodle developers, which typically involve the implementation of CSRF tokens for all administrative operations. System administrators should also consider implementing additional security controls such as web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious request patterns, and regular security auditing of administrative interfaces to identify potential unauthorized access attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing proper input validation across all web application components, particularly those handling privileged administrative functions. Organizations should also consider implementing role-based access controls and monitoring systems that can alert administrators to unusual deletion patterns or unauthorized administrative activities, as these attacks often leave detectable traces in system logs that can aid in forensic analysis and incident response activities.