CVE-2016-2157 in Moodle
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in mod/assign/adminmanageplugins.php in Moodle through 2.6.11, 2.7.x before 2.7.13, 2.8.x before 2.8.11, 2.9.x before 2.9.5, and 3.0.x before 3.0.3 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that manage Assignment plugins.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/21/2022
The CVE-2016-2157 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the Moodle learning management system that affects multiple version branches including 2.6.11, 2.7.12, 2.8.10, 2.9.4, and 3.0.2. This vulnerability resides in the mod/assign/adminmanageplugins.php component and specifically targets the administrative plugin management functionality. The flaw allows remote attackers to exploit the lack of proper CSRF protection mechanisms to hijack administrator sessions and execute unauthorized actions. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates within the administrative context of Moodle, where users have elevated privileges and can perform critical system modifications. The attack vector involves crafting malicious requests that, when executed by an authenticated administrator, can manipulate assignment plugins without the administrator's knowledge or consent. This represents a fundamental breakdown in the web application's security model where session integrity and request authenticity are not properly validated.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of anti-CSRF tokens or similar validation mechanisms within the administrative plugin management interface. When administrators navigate to the assignment plugin management section, the application fails to verify that requests originate from legitimate administrative sessions rather than maliciously crafted web pages or embedded attack vectors. This weakness directly aligns with CWE-352, which categorizes cross-site request forgery vulnerabilities as those where applications fail to validate the source of requests. The vulnerability operates by exploiting the trust relationship between the web application and the authenticated user, specifically targeting the administrative functions that control plugin configurations. Attackers can construct malicious web pages or leverage existing compromised user sessions to execute unauthorized plugin management operations, potentially leading to privilege escalation or complete system compromise.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized plugin modifications, as it provides attackers with a pathway to gain deeper system control through administrative privileges. Successful exploitation allows attackers to manipulate assignment plugin configurations, potentially enabling them to disable security features, install malicious plugins, or alter assignment settings that could affect student grades and course content. The attack requires minimal technical expertise to execute, making it particularly dangerous in environments where administrators frequently interact with potentially malicious web content. This vulnerability particularly affects educational institutions that rely heavily on Moodle for course management and student assessment, as administrators may unknowingly execute malicious requests while browsing compromised websites or clicking on malicious links. The consequences could include data integrity violations, unauthorized access to student information, and potential disruption of educational services.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including applying the official patches released by Moodle for affected versions, which typically involve implementing proper CSRF token validation mechanisms. The recommended approach includes ensuring that all administrative operations require valid anti-CSRF tokens that are tied to the user session and validated server-side before processing. Security teams should also consider implementing additional protective measures such as monitoring for unusual administrative activity patterns, implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious requests, and conducting regular security audits of administrative interfaces. Organizations should also enforce strict access controls and ensure that administrative privileges are granted only to trusted users who understand the security implications of their actions. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of implementing comprehensive security controls across all application interfaces, particularly those with administrative privileges, as highlighted by ATT&CK technique T1078 which addresses legitimate credentials and privileges. Regular security training for administrators and systematic vulnerability assessments are essential to prevent exploitation of similar CSRF vulnerabilities in other components of the system.