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MoodleCMS

CVE-2012-5480

MEDIUM · 6.4 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-11-21
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
73/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
The Database activity module in Moodle 2.1.x before 2.1.9, 2.2.x before 2.2.6, and 2.3.x before 2.3.3 allows remote attackers to bypass intended restrictions on reading other participants' entries via an advanced search.

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 · high confidence

The Database activity module in Moodle 2.1.x, 2.2.x, and 2.3.x contains a broken access control vulnerability where the advanced search function allows authenticated users to bypass intended restrictions and read entries from other participants that should be restricted.

MitigationUpgrade Moodle to version 2.1.9, 2.2.6, 2.3.3 or later to patch the vulnerable Database activity module.

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
Affected:= 2.1.0= 2.1.1= 2.1.2= 2.1.3= 2.1.4= 2.1.5= 2.1.6= 2.1.7= 2.1.8= 2.2.0= 2.2.1= 2.2.2

CVSS 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
Partial
Integrity
None
Availability
Partial

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:P

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check Moodle installation version
    Locate and open the version.php file in the Moodle root directory (or moodle/lib/version.php). Look for the $release or $version variable to identify the installed Moodle version.
    Affected if The version variable shows 2.1.0 through 2.1.8, or 2.2.0 through 2.2.2
  2. Confirm version via admin interface
    Log into the Moodle admin dashboard and navigate to Site Administration > Server > Environment or navigate to /admin/environment.php. The Moodle version is displayed on this page.
    Affected if The reported version falls within 2.1.0-2.1.8 or 2.2.0-2.2.2
  3. Identify active Database activity modules
    Check for any active Database activity instances in courses. Navigate to Site Administration > Plugins > Activity modules > Database, or review course contents for any Database activity instances created.
    Affected if Any Database activity instances exist in any courses on the Moodle installation

If Moodle version is 2.1.0-2.1.8 or 2.2.0-2.2.2 AND the Database activity module is in use, the installation is potentially affected by this access control bypass in the advanced search function.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade Moodle to version 2.1.9, 2.2.6, 2.3.3 or later to patch the vulnerable Database activity module.

Fix this in Moodle Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2012-5480 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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