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MoodleCMS

CVE-2015-5266

MEDIUM · 6.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-02-22
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2.6.11 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
The enrol_meta_sync function in enrol/meta/locallib.php in Moodle through 2.6.11, 2.7.x before 2.7.10, 2.8.x before 2.8.8, and 2.9.x before 2.9.2 allows remote authenticated users to obtain manager privileges in opportunistic circumstances by leveraging incorrect role processing during a long-running sync script.

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 enrol_meta_sync function in Moodle's meta enrollment module (enrol/meta/locallib.php) has incorrect role processing logic during synchronization operations. This flaw allows authenticated users to escalate privileges to manager level under specific timing conditions during long-running sync scripts.

MitigationUpgrade Moodle to version 2.7.10, 2.8.8, 2.9.2 or later, or apply the vendor security patch to correct the role processing logic in enrol_meta_sync.

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:<= 2.6.11= 2.7.0= 2.7.1= 2.7.2= 2.7.3= 2.7.4= 2.7.5= 2.7.6= 2.7.7= 2.7.8= 2.7.9= 2.8.0

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
High
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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. Check Moodle version
    Locate the version.php file in your Moodle root directory (usually /version.php or /lib/version.php) and read the $release or $version variable. Alternatively, log into the site administration panel and look at the 'Server > PHP Info' or the footer of any page which often displays the version.
    Affected if The installed version is 2.6.11 or lower, OR exactly 2.7.0 through 2.7.9, OR exactly 2.8.0
  2. Verify the meta enrollment plugin is installed
    Check if the file enrol/meta/locallib.php exists in your Moodle installation directory. You can use a file search or inspect the directory structure under /enrol/meta/.
    Affected if The file enrol/meta/locallib.php exists on the server
  3. Confirm meta enrollment is enabled
    Log into Moodle as an administrator, navigate to Site Administration > Plugins > Enrollment plugins, and check whether 'Meta course enrollment' is listed and enabled. Alternatively, query the mdl_config_plugins table in the database for plugins named 'enrol_meta' where 'enabled' = 1.
    Affected if The Meta course enrollment plugin is enabled in the enrollment plugins list
  4. Check for active meta enrollment linkages
    Query the Moodle database table mdl_enrol for rows where enrol = 'meta' and status is active. Alternatively, view the course settings of any course and check if 'Meta course links' are configured under the Users > Enrolled users or course enrollment settings.
    Affected if Any courses have meta enrollment links configured and actively syncing

You are affected if your Moodle version falls within the vulnerable range (2.6.11 or lower, 2.7.0-2.7.9, or 2.8.0) AND the Meta course enrollment plugin is enabled with active meta linkages, exposing the enrol_meta_sync function to privilege escalation.

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 2.6.11
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Moodle to version 2.7.10, 2.8.8, 2.9.2 or later, or apply the vendor security patch to correct the role processing logic in enrol_meta_sync.

Fix this in Moodle Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing5.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $2,970
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,752.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2015-5266 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