CVE-2024-34008: Moodle Analytics CSRF Vulnerability

CVE-2024-34008 Overview

CVE-2024-34008 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Moodle's admin management of analytics models. Actions in this administrative area did not include the required anti-CSRF token, allowing attackers to trigger state-changing operations on behalf of authenticated administrators. The flaw is tracked under [CWE-352] (Cross-Site Request Forgery) and affects the open-source Moodle learning management system.

Critical Impact
An attacker who tricks a signed-in Moodle administrator into visiting a crafted page can manipulate analytics model configuration, impacting confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the learning platform.

Affected Products

Moodle (analytics models admin management component)
Moodle instances where administrators access analytics model management pages
Deployments prior to the patched release referenced in the Moodle security advisory

Discovery Timeline

2024-05-31 - CVE-2024-34008 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-06-17 - Last updated in the NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-34008

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability exists in the administrative interface for managing Moodle analytics models. State-changing actions in this component were rendered without a session-bound anti-CSRF token (sesskey in Moodle terminology). Without this token validation, the application cannot distinguish between requests initiated intentionally by an authenticated administrator and requests forged by a malicious third-party site.

Exploitation requires user interaction: an authenticated Moodle administrator must visit an attacker-controlled page or click a crafted link while their Moodle session is active. Once triggered, the browser submits the forged request with the administrator's session cookies, and the Moodle backend processes the action as legitimate.

Because analytics model management runs with administrator-level privileges, successful exploitation impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the platform.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing CSRF token enforcement on analytics model administration endpoints. Moodle's standard defense uses the sesskey parameter, which must be validated on every state-changing request. The affected actions in the analytics models admin flow omitted this check, breaking the framework's baseline CSRF protection model.

Attack Vector

The attack is delivered over the network and requires no privileges on the target system. The attacker crafts an HTML page containing a form or image tag that issues requests to the vulnerable Moodle endpoints. When an authenticated administrator visits the page, the browser attaches valid session cookies to the forged requests. The vulnerability mechanism is documented in the Moodle Forum Discussion referenced in the vendor advisory. No verified proof-of-concept code is publicly available.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-34008

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected changes to analytics model configuration, including enabled or disabled models, without corresponding entries in administrator activity logs.
HTTP POST requests to Moodle analytics admin endpoints with Referer or Origin headers pointing to external, untrusted domains.
Administrator session activity correlating with visits to unfamiliar external websites in browser history or proxy logs.

Detection Strategies

Review Moodle application logs for administrative actions on analytics models that lack an authenticated administrator's typical interaction pattern.
Inspect web server access logs for requests to analytics admin URLs that arrive with cross-origin Referer headers.
Correlate administrator authentication events with subsequent analytics model configuration changes to identify anomalous timing.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable and centralize Moodle admin action auditing, forwarding events to a SIEM or log analytics platform for correlation.
Alert on any modification to analytics model state outside of scheduled maintenance windows.
Monitor for outbound browser telemetry or proxy logs showing administrators visiting non-corporate domains while holding an active Moodle admin session.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-34008

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade Moodle to the fixed release identified in the Moodle security advisory linked from the vendor forum discussion.
Require administrators to sign out of Moodle when not actively administering the platform to shrink the CSRF exposure window.
Restrict administrative access to trusted networks or VPN-connected clients where feasible.

Patch Information

Moodle addressed the missing token enforcement by adding the required sesskey validation to the affected analytics model admin actions. Refer to the Moodle Forum Discussion for the specific fixed versions and upstream commit references. Apply the vendor patch as the definitive remediation.

Workarounds

Enforce browser isolation or a dedicated administrative browser profile for Moodle admin sessions to prevent CSRF from arbitrary browsing activity.
Configure web application firewall (WAF) rules to reject requests to analytics admin endpoints when the Referer or Origin header is missing or off-origin.
Limit the number of accounts holding the site administrator role to reduce the population of viable CSRF targets.

bash

# Example WAF rule concept: block cross-origin POSTs to Moodle admin analytics endpoints
# ModSecurity-style pseudo-rule
SecRule REQUEST_METHOD "@streq POST" \
  "chain,phase:1,deny,status:403,id:1003400801,msg:'CVE-2024-34008 CSRF guard'"
  SecRule REQUEST_URI "@beginsWith /admin/tool/analytics" \
    "chain"
    SecRule REQUEST_HEADERS:Origin "!@beginsWith https://moodle.example.org" \
      "t:none"