dbcve.org
MoodleCMS

CVE-2015-1493

MEDIUM · 6.8 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-06-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2.5.9 or later.
See remediation →
74/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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
Directory traversal vulnerability in the min_get_slash_argument function in lib/configonlylib.php in Moodle through 2.5.9, 2.6.x before 2.6.8, 2.7.x before 2.7.5, and 2.8.x before 2.8.3 allows remote authenticated users to read arbitrary files via a .. (dot dot) in the file parameter, as demonstrated by reading PHP scripts.

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

A directory traversal vulnerability exists in Moodle's min_get_slash_argument function in lib/configonlylib.php. Remote authenticated users can manipulate the 'file' parameter using '../' sequences to read arbitrary files on the server, including potentially sensitive PHP scripts.

MitigationUpgrade Moodle to version 2.6.8, 2.7.5, 2.8.3, or later. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict authenticated user access to the affected component or implement web application firewall rules to block path traversal patterns.

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:<= 2.5.9= 2.5.0= 2.5.1= 2.5.2= 2.5.3= 2.5.4= 2.5.5= 2.5.6= 2.5.7= 2.5.8= 2.6.0= 2.6.1

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
Single
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
None
Availability
None

AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:C/I:N/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 checks

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

  1. Identify Moodle version
    Check the version.php file in the Moodle root directory, or navigate to Site Administration > Server > Environment to view the installed version.
    Affected if The installed version is any of: <= 2.5.9, 2.5.0 through 2.5.8, 2.6.0, 2.6.1, or the exact versions 2.5.0-2.5.9, 2.6.0, 2.6.1.
  2. Locate vulnerable file
    Verify the existence of lib/configonlylib.php in the Moodle installation directory.
    Affected if The file lib/configonlylib.php exists and contains the min_get_slash_argument function.
  3. Confirm function implementation
    Open lib/configonlylib.php and search for the function definition 'function min_get_slash_argument'. Inspect whether it uses the 'file' parameter without proper sanitization.
    Affected if The min_get_slash_argument function is present and processes the 'file' parameter without validating or restricting path traversal sequences.
  4. Assess user authentication settings
    Review the Moodle authentication configuration at Site Administration > Plugins > Authentication to determine if self-registration or external authentication sources are enabled.
    Affected if Any authentication method allows user registration or external user access, permitting remote authenticated users to potentially exploit this flaw.
  5. Check web server configuration
    Inspect any existing web application firewall rules or web server configurations that may block '../' sequences in URL parameters.
    Affected if No WAF rules or server-side filters are in place to block directory traversal patterns in the 'file' parameter.

If the installed Moodle version falls within 2.5.0-2.5.9 or 2.6.0-2.6.1 and the lib/configonlylib.php file with the vulnerable min_get_slash_argument function is present, the environment is likely affected by this directory traversal vulnerability.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 2.5.9
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Moodle to version 2.6.8, 2.7.5, 2.8.3, or later. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict authenticated user access to the affected component or implement web application firewall rules to block path traversal patterns.

Fix this in Moodle Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-1493 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2015-1493 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

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