CVE-2016-3732 in Moodle
Summary
by MITRE
The capability check to access other badges in Moodle 3.0 through 3.0.3, 2.9 through 2.9.5, 2.8 through 2.8.11, 2.7 through 2.7.13, and earlier allows remote authenticated users to read the badges of other users.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/21/2020
This vulnerability exists in Moodle learning management systems across multiple versions including 3.0 through 3.0.3, 2.9 through 2.9.5, 2.8 through 2.8.11, 2.7 through 2.7.13, and earlier releases. The flaw represents a critical access control bypass that allows remote authenticated users to read badge information belonging to other users within the system. This represents a significant privacy and data exposure risk that directly violates fundamental security principles of user isolation and data protection. The vulnerability stems from inadequate capability checks within the badge management system, specifically in the function that handles access to badge information across different user accounts.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a missing authorization check in the badge access control mechanism. When authenticated users attempt to access badge information through the system's API or web interface, the application fails to properly verify whether the requesting user has legitimate authorization to view the target user's badge data. This allows malicious actors with valid login credentials to exploit the system's trust model and retrieve sensitive badge information that should only be accessible to the badge owner or authorized administrators. The flaw operates at the application level where proper access controls should be enforced but are instead bypassed through predictable API endpoints or parameter manipulation.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables unauthorized information disclosure that can lead to significant privacy violations and potential social engineering attacks. Badge information in Moodle systems often contains sensitive achievement data, user progress tracking, and recognition metrics that may reveal personal information about users' academic performance, participation levels, or system engagement patterns. Attackers could potentially use this information to craft targeted phishing campaigns, identify high-value targets for further attacks, or simply exploit the personal data for malicious purposes. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality aspect of the CIA triad and represents a clear violation of user privacy expectations within educational platforms.
The attack surface for this vulnerability is substantial given the widespread adoption of Moodle across educational institutions and organizations globally. Any authenticated user within the system can potentially exploit this flaw, making it particularly dangerous in environments where user accounts may be compromised or where attackers have legitimate access to the platform. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-284 Access Control Bypass and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213 Data from Information Repositories, where adversaries seek to access protected data repositories. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patches, implementing additional access controls, and monitoring for unauthorized access attempts to badge information. The recommended remediation involves strengthening the capability checks within the badge system to ensure proper authorization validation occurs before any badge data is returned to requesting users, thereby enforcing proper access control mechanisms and preventing unauthorized information disclosure.