CVE-2024-45689: Moodle Information Disclosure Flaw

CVE-2024-45689 Overview

A security flaw has been discovered in Moodle, the widely-used open-source learning management system (LMS). The vulnerability exists in the dynamic tables functionality where capability checks are not properly enforced. This authorization bypass allows authenticated users to retrieve information they should not have permission to access, potentially exposing sensitive data within the educational platform.

Critical Impact

Authenticated users can bypass access controls in dynamic tables to retrieve unauthorized information, potentially exposing sensitive student data, course materials, or administrative information within Moodle installations.

Affected Products

• Moodle LMS (multiple versions affected)
• Moodle dynamic tables component
• Educational institutions running vulnerable Moodle deployments

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-11-20 - CVE-2024-45689 published to NVD
• 2025-06-02 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-45689

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-862 (Missing Authorization), indicating a fundamental flaw in how Moodle's dynamic tables feature validates user permissions before returning data. The issue stems from the absence of proper capability checks when users interact with dynamic table components within the Moodle platform.

In Moodle's architecture, dynamic tables are used throughout the platform to display various types of data, from student grades to course participation records. These tables should respect Moodle's capability system, which defines granular permissions for different user roles (students, teachers, administrators). However, this vulnerability allows the dynamic tables to return data without verifying whether the requesting user has the appropriate capabilities to view that information.

The network-based attack vector with low complexity means that any authenticated user with basic access to a Moodle instance could potentially exploit this flaw to access information beyond their authorized scope. This is particularly concerning in educational environments where data segregation between students, courses, and institutions is critical.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2024-45689 is the missing authorization checks in Moodle's dynamic tables implementation. When processing requests for table data, the system fails to invoke the appropriate capability verification functions that should determine whether the authenticated user has permission to access the requested information. This represents a classic broken access control vulnerability where the application assumes that authentication alone is sufficient, without implementing proper authorization at the data access layer.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability is network-based and requires only low-privileged authenticated access. An attacker with a basic Moodle user account (such as a student) could craft requests to the dynamic tables functionality to retrieve data they should not be able to access. This could include:

• Viewing other students' grades or submissions
• Accessing course content from courses they are not enrolled in
• Retrieving user information from other Moodle contexts
• Accessing administrative reports or system information

The vulnerability does not require user interaction and can be exploited remotely by any authenticated user, making it a significant concern for multi-tenant Moodle installations serving multiple institutions or courses with strict data separation requirements.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-45689

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual access patterns to dynamic table endpoints from low-privileged user accounts
• Audit logs showing users accessing data outside their enrolled courses or authorized contexts
• Increased query volume to table data endpoints from individual user sessions
• Access attempts to administrative or cross-course data tables from non-administrative accounts

Detection Strategies

• Enable comprehensive Moodle logging and review access logs for capability-bypassing requests
• Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect anomalous parameter patterns in table requests
• Monitor for users accessing resources outside their normal course enrollment scope
• Deploy SentinelOne Singularity Platform to detect and alert on suspicious application behavior patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure Moodle's built-in logging to capture all dynamic table access attempts
• Set up alerts for access patterns that exceed normal user behavior baselines
• Review periodic reports of cross-context data access attempts
• Implement network-level monitoring for unusual traffic patterns to Moodle table endpoints

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-45689

Immediate Actions Required

• Identify all Moodle installations within your organization and determine version status
• Apply the latest security patches from Moodle as soon as they become available
• Review user access logs for potential exploitation attempts prior to patching
• Consider restricting access to Moodle during the patching window if sensitive data is at risk

Patch Information

Organizations running affected versions of Moodle should apply the official security patches released by Moodle. For detailed information about the vulnerability and patch status, refer to Red Hat Bug Report #2309941. Contact your Moodle administrator or hosting provider to ensure updates are applied promptly across all instances.

Workarounds

• Implement additional access control layers at the reverse proxy or WAF level to restrict table endpoint access
• Review and restrict user roles to minimize the number of accounts with access to sensitive table data
• Enable verbose logging to detect and respond to potential exploitation attempts
• Consider network segmentation to limit access to Moodle instances containing highly sensitive information
• Temporarily disable or restrict access to dynamic table features if feasible in your environment

# Example: Enable enhanced Moodle logging in config.php
# Add to your Moodle configuration to improve audit capabilities
$CFG->debugdisplay = 0;
$CFG->perfdebug = 0;
$CFG->debugstringids = 0;
$CFG->loglifetime = 365;
# Ensure all events are logged for security review