CVE-2023-28335 in Moodle
Summary
by MITRE • 03/23/2023
The link to reset all templates of a database activity did not include the necessary token to prevent a CSRF risk.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/27/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery weakness in database activity management systems where the template reset functionality lacks proper token validation. The flaw occurs when a malicious actor crafts a crafted link or webpage that, when visited by an authenticated user, automatically triggers the template reset operation without requiring additional authentication or validation. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-352 which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery issues in web applications. The absence of a proper anti-CSRF token mechanism allows attackers to exploit this weakness by leveraging the victim's existing authenticated session to perform unauthorized actions on their behalf. The vulnerability demonstrates a fundamental failure in the application's security architecture where state-changing operations should require explicit user confirmation and token validation before execution.
The technical implementation of this flaw reveals that the template reset functionality operates without proper request validation mechanisms. When a user navigates to the reset template link, the system processes the request based solely on the URL parameters without verifying that the request originated from the legitimate user interface or that the user has explicitly authorized the action. This creates a scenario where an attacker can construct a malicious webpage containing an embedded image tag or iframe that points to the template reset endpoint, thereby executing the reset operation automatically when the victim visits the page. The attack vector leverages the browser's automatic handling of resources and the user's existing session cookie to impersonate the authenticated user.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple template reset operations as it provides attackers with a mechanism to manipulate database activity configurations without proper authorization. An attacker could potentially reset templates to default values, remove critical configuration settings, or disrupt database operations that depend on specific template parameters. This vulnerability particularly affects database management systems where templates control critical operational parameters and can lead to data integrity issues, service disruptions, or unauthorized access to database resources. The risk is amplified in environments where database administrators have elevated privileges and where template configurations directly impact system security controls.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must implement robust anti-CSRF protection mechanisms including the generation and validation of unique tokens for each user session. The system should require that all state-changing operations include a valid, time-limited token that is tied to the user's session and validated server-side before processing. Implementation should follow established security practices such as using the OWASP CSRF protection guidelines and ensuring that tokens are regenerated after each successful operation. Additionally, the application should implement proper access controls and audit logging to detect unauthorized template reset activities. Security headers including Content Security Policy and SameSite cookie attributes should be configured to further reduce the attack surface. This vulnerability highlights the importance of implementing comprehensive security controls for all user-initiated operations and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 which covers credential harvesting through various attack vectors including CSRF exploitation.