dbcve.org
MoodleCMS

CVE-2024-43437

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-11-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.1.12 / 4.2.9 or later.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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 flaw was found in moodle. Insufficient sanitizing of data when performing a restore could result in a cross-site scripting (XSS) risk from malicious backup files.

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 cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability exists in Moodle's restore functionality due to insufficient data sanitization. When restoring from malicious backup files, user-supplied data within the backup is not properly escaped or validated before being rendered, allowing arbitrary JavaScript execution in the context of the victim's browser.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied patches for CVE-2024-43437 which add proper sanitization of data during the backup restore process. Until patched, avoid restoring backup files from untrusted sources.

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:< 4.1.12>= 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
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/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 checks

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

  1. Check installed Moodle version
    Locate the version.php file in the Moodle root directory and read the $version variable, or access Site Administration > Server > Environment to view the installed Moodle version
    Affected if The version is less than 4.1.12, or falls between 4.2.0-4.2.8, 4.3.0-4.3.5, or 4.4.0-4.4.1
  2. Verify restore functionality is enabled
    Access Site Administration > Courses > Restore and verify the restore feature is available, or check the capabilities table for 'moodle/restore:restorecourse' capability assignment
    Affected if The restore functionality is enabled and accessible to users
  3. Confirm backup restore activity
    Review Moodle logs (Site Administration > Reports > Logs) for recent restore operations, or check the 'mdl_backup_controllers' table in the database for restore history
    Affected if Restore operations have been performed using backup files (especially from external or untrusted sources)
  4. Check for malicious backup files
    Inspect any .mbz backup files in the backup repository or user upload areas for unsanitized content in course data fields (e.g., activity names, descriptions, labels)
    Affected if Backup files from untrusted sources have been restored into the Moodle environment

You are affected if your Moodle version falls within the vulnerable ranges AND the restore feature is active and has been used with backup files containing unsanitized user data.

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 vendor-supplied patches for CVE-2024-43437 which add proper sanitization of data during the backup restore process. Until patched, avoid restoring backup files from untrusted sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

Moodle 4.1.12, 4.2.9, 4.3.6, or 4.4.2 (select the version matching your current branch)

  1. 1. Back up your Moodle database and moodledata directory before upgrading.
  2. 2. Download the appropriate fixed version of Moodle (4.1.12, 4.2.9, 4.3.6, or 4.4.2) from moodle.org/downloads.
  3. 3. Place your Moodle site into maintenance mode via Site administration > Server > Maintenance mode.
  4. 4. Replace the Moodle code directory with the new version files, preserving config.php and any custom themes or plugins.
  5. 5. Run the Moodle upgrade process by accessing the site via browser or running php admin/cli/upgrade.php.
  6. 6. Verify the upgrade completed successfully and exit maintenance mode.
Caveat Moodle minor version upgrades typically have minimal breaking changes; review the release notes for your target version for any notable changes

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
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,224.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-43437 — 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-2024-43437 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