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MoodleCMS

CVE-2024-43440

HIGH · 7.5 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 →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 flaw was found in moodle. A local file may include risks when restoring block backups.

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 local file inclusion vulnerability exists in Moodle's block backup restoration functionality. When restoring block backups, insufficient validation of file paths could allow an attacker to include arbitrary local files from the server filesystem, potentially exposing sensitive configuration files, session data, or other system resources.

MitigationApply the vendor patch for CVE-2024-43440 to Moodle. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict backup restore functionality to trusted administrators and monitor for suspicious file access 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:< 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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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. Check Moodle version
    Navigate to Site Administration > Server > Environment or check the version.php file in the Moodle root directory (look for $version variable)
    Affected if The installed version falls within < 4.1.12, >= 4.2.0 and < 4.2.9, >= 4.3.0 and < 4.3.6, or >= 4.4.0 and < 4.4.2
  2. Verify block backup restore is accessible
    Confirm the block backup restore functionality is enabled in Site Administration > Plugins > Blocks > Manage blocks. Also check if any block backups can be uploaded via the restore process.
    Affected if Block backup restore functionality is available and users with restore permissions exist in the system
  3. Review backup restore permissions
    Check Site Administration > Users > Permissions > Define roles to see which roles have 'restore' capability. Look at the 'moodle/restore:restore' and 'block/backup:restore' capabilities.
    Affected if Roles beyond trusted administrators (such as teachers or managers) have restore permissions enabled
  4. Inspect backup file handling configuration
    Check config.php or Site Administration > Server > PHP Info for moodle backup settings. Look for any custom backup handlers or non-standard paths configured.
    Affected if Custom or non-standard backup configurations that might bypass standard path validation exist

You are affected if your Moodle version is within the affected ranges AND the block backup restore feature is enabled with accessible restore permissions.

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 the vendor patch for CVE-2024-43440 to Moodle. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict backup restore functionality to trusted administrators and monitor for suspicious file access patterns.

Recommended fix High confidence

Moodle 4.4.2 (or 4.3.6 / 4.2.9 / 4.1.12 depending on your branch)

  1. Back up your existing Moodle database and entire installation directory
  2. Download the fixed Moodle version for your branch: 4.4.2 (if on 4.4.x), 4.3.6 (if on 4.3.x), 4.2.9 (if on 4.2.x), or 4.1.12 (if on 4.1.x) from moodle.org/downloads
  3. Extract the new Moodle files and replace your existing installation, preserving config.php and any custom themes or plugins
  4. Run the Moodle upgrade script via command line (php admin/cli/upgrade.php) or through the web interface
  5. Clear all Moodle caches after upgrade completion

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

Fix this in Moodle Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,560
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,096.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2024-43440 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