MoodleCMS
CVE-2020-25701
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 · uneditedIf the upload course tool in Moodle was used to delete an enrollment method which did not exist or was not already enabled, the tool would erroneously enable that enrollment method. This could lead to unintended users gaining access to the course. Versions affected: 3.9 to 3.9.2, 3.8 to 3.8.5, 3.7 to 3.7.8, 3.5 to 3.5.14 and earlier unsupported versions. This is fixed in moodle 3.9.3, 3.8.6, 3.7.9, 3.5.15, and 3.10.
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 confidenceThe upload course tool in Moodle contains a logic error where attempting to delete an enrollment method that either does not exist or is not already enabled will erroneously enable that enrollment method instead of properly handling the delete request. This causes unintended users to potentially gain access to the course.
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
>= 3.5.0, <= 3.5.14>= 3.7.0, <= 3.7.8>= 3.8.0, <= 3.8.5>= 3.9.0, <= 3.9.2
FedoraOperating system
= 32= 33CVSS 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
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/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.
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Check Moodle versionNavigate to Site Administration > Server > Environment or check the version.php file in the Moodle installation directory. Run: grep -i '$version' /path/to/moodle/version.phpAffected if The installed version falls within 3.5.0-3.5.14, 3.7.0-3.7.8, 3.8.0-3.8.5, or 3.9.0-3.9.2
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Verify upload course tool is accessibleNavigate to Site Administration > Courses > Upload courses. Check if the upload courses tool is enabled in Site Administration > Plugins > Course plugins > Upload courses.Affected if The upload course tool is enabled and accessible to users who manage courses
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Review enrollment method configurationsExamine course enrollment settings via Site Administration > Plugins > Enrolments > Manage enrol plugins. Check if self enrollment, cohort sync, or other methods are unexpectedly enabled in courses where they should be disabled.Affected if Enrollment methods are found enabled in courses where they were intentionally disabled or never configured
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Audit course enrollment changesReview Moodle logs (Site Administration > Reports > Logs) for enrollment-related actions. Look for unexpected enrollment method enablement events around upload course tool usage.Affected if Enrollment method changes occurred that were not initiated by an administrator or were contrary to intended actions
You are affected if you run a Moodle version within the affected ranges (3.5.0-3.5.14, 3.7.0-3.7.8, 3.8.0-3.8.5, or 3.9.0-3.9.2) and use the upload course tool for enrollment modifications, where attempting to delete enrollment methods may have erroneously enabled them instead.
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 to Moodle versions 3.5.15, 3.7.9, 3.8.6, 3.9.3, or 3.10 and later. Avoid using the upload course tool for enrollment modifications until the patch is applied.
Fix this in Moodle
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-25701 — 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-2020-25701 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
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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