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MoodleCMS

CVE-2024-43436

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-11-07
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.1.12 / 4.2.9 or later.
See remediation →
78/100
Remediation priority · High
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
A SQL injection risk flaw was found in the XMLDB editor tool available to site administrators.

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 confidence

A SQL injection vulnerability exists in the XMLDB editor tool, which is accessible to site administrators. This flaw could allow an authenticated administrator to inject malicious SQL statements through unsanitized input in the XMLDB editor, potentially enabling unauthorized data access or modification.

MitigationApply input validation and parameterized queries to all database interactions within the XMLDB editor tool, or restrict/disable the tool if not required in production environments.

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:>= 4.1.0, < 4.1.12>= 4.2.0, < 4.2.9>= 4.3.0, < 4.3.6>= 4.4.0, < 4.4.2

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 installed
    Navigate to Site Administration > Server > Environment or check the version.php file in the Moodle root directory (typically /lib/version.php). Look for the $release or $version variable.
    Affected if The installed version falls within these ranges: 4.1.0 through 4.1.11, 4.2.0 through 4.2.8, 4.3.0 through 4.3.5, or 4.4.0 through 4.4.1.
  2. Verify XMLDB editor is accessible
    Log in as a site administrator and navigate to Site Administration > Development > XMLDB editor. Check if the menu item exists and is accessible. The XMLDB editor is typically located under Development in the admin menu.
    Affected if The XMLDB editor interface loads successfully and the user can access the tool as a site administrator.
  3. Confirm administrator access to XMLDB editor
    Navigate to Site Administration > Users > Permissions > Define roles and verify that site administrators have the moodle/site:config capability, or check Site Administration > Users > Permissions > Assign system roles to confirm admin role assignment.
    Affected if The user has site administrator privileges and can access the XMLDB editor tool.

A user is affected if they run a vulnerable Moodle version (4.1.0-4.1.11, 4.2.0-4.2.8, 4.3.0-4.3.5, or 4.4.0-4.4.1) AND have the XMLDB editor accessible to site administrators in their environment.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 4.1.12 / 4.2.9 / 4.3.6 or later
Fixed in 4.1.124.2.94.3.6
Interim mitigation

Apply input validation and parameterized queries to all database interactions within the XMLDB editor tool, or restrict/disable the tool if not required in production environments.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to the latest release in your branch: 4.1.12, 4.2.9, 4.3.6, or 4.4.2 (or later versions if available)

  1. 1. Back up the Moodle database and all site files before proceeding
  2. 2. Put the Moodle site into maintenance mode via Site Administration > Server > Maintenance Mode
  3. 3. Download the appropriate fixed Moodle version (4.1.12, 4.2.9, 4.3.6, or 4.4.2) from moodle.org/downloads
  4. 4. Extract the new Moodle package to a temporary location
  5. 5. Copy the new Moodle files over the existing installation, replacing all core files
  6. 6. If using Git, run 'git pull' or checkout the specific tag for the fixed version
  7. 7. Run the Moodle upgrade CLI command: php admin/cli/upgrade.php
  8. 8. Clear all caches via Site Development > Purge caches or CLI: php admin/cli/purge_caches.php
Caveat Minor version upgrades within a branch are typically safe; if upgrading across branches (e.g., 4.1 to 4.4), review the release notes for breaking changes and test thoroughly first

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Moodle Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
Get the upgrade done

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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-2024-43436 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