MoodleCMS
CVE-2011-4592
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedThe command-line cron implementation in Moodle 2.0.x before 2.0.6 and 2.1.x before 2.1.3 does not properly interact with IP blocking, which might allow remote attackers to bypass intended IP address restrictions by leveraging a configuration in which IP blocking was disabled to restore cron functionality.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceThe Moodle cron command-line implementation fails to respect IP blocking settings. When administrators disabled IP blocking to restore cron functionality, it created a bypass where cron could be accessed from any IP address, allowing remote attackers to potentially execute cron tasks without intended IP restrictions.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
MoodleCMS
= 2.0.0= 2.0.1= 2.0.2= 2.0.3= 2.0.4= 2.0.5= 2.1.0= 2.1.1= 2.1.2CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify Moodle installation versionLocate the version.php file in your Moodle installation directory (typically /lib/version.php or /version.php) and read the $release or $version variableAffected if The installed version matches 2.0.0 through 2.0.5 or 2.1.0 through 2.1.2
-
Verify IP blocking is configured for cronAccess Moodle admin panel, navigate to Security > IP blockers or similar IP restriction settings, and check if any IP rules are defined for cron task executionAffected if IP blocking rules exist but the cron implementation does not enforce them (the bypass condition)
-
Check cron accessibilityAttempt to access the cron script via web (e.g., /admin/cron.php or /cron.php depending on Moodle version) from an IP address outside your allowed rangeAffected if The cron script executes successfully from any IP address despite IP blocking settings being configured
-
Inspect cron configuration fileExamine the Moodle config.php file for $cfg->cronremotepassword or similar settings that control remote cron access, and check if IP restrictions are defined but not enforcedAffected if Remote cron is enabled without proper IP validation being applied
You are affected if your Moodle version is 2.0.0-2.0.5 or 2.1.0-2.1.2 AND you have configured IP blocking rules that you expect to restrict cron access but cron executes regardless of those restrictions.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUpgrade Moodle to version 2.0.6 or later (2.0.x) or 2.1.3 or later (2.1.x), or implement alternative network-level IP restrictions for cron access.
Fix this in Moodle
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2011-4592 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2011-4592 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data