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MoodleCMS

CVE-2026-26045

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-02-21
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.5.9 / 5.0.5 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 flaw was identified in Moodle’s backup restore functionality where specially crafted backup files were not properly validated during processing. If a malicious backup file is restored, it could lead to unintended execution of server-side code. Since restore capabilities are typically available to privileged users, exploitation requires authenticated access. Successful exploitation could result in full compromise of the Moodle server.

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 code injection vulnerability exists in Moodle's backup restore functionality where malicious backup files are not properly validated during restore processing, allowing authenticated privileged users to achieve remote code execution on the Moodle server.

MitigationRestrict backup restore permissions to minimal trusted administrators, validate backup file structure before restore, and apply Moodle security patches when released.

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:< 4.5.9>= 5.0.0, < 5.0.5>= 5.1.0, < 5.1.2

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. Determine installed Moodle version
    Log into Moodle as administrator and 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 < 4.5.9, OR >= 5.0.0 and < 5.0.5, OR >= 5.1.0 and < 5.1.2
  2. Verify backup restore capability is available
    Check if the backup and restore capabilities are enabled for any roles by navigating to Site Administration > Users > Permissions > Define roles and searching for 'backup' or 'restore' capabilities, or examine the role capabilities table in the database
    Affected if Any authenticated privileged user role has the capability to perform course backups or restores (moodle/backup:backup, moodle/restore:restore)
  3. Identify users with restore privileges
    Run a database query to find users assigned roles with restore permissions, or navigate to Site Administration > Users > Permissions > Assign system roles and review which roles have restore capabilities
    Affected if There are users with restore capabilities beyond the primary administrator account
  4. Confirm restore functionality is accessible
    Attempt to access the restore interface at /backup/restore.php on the Moodle server, or verify that the restore functionality is not disabled in Site Administration > Plugins > Activity modules > Backup
    Affected if The restore interface is accessible and the restore functionality is enabled in the plugin settings

You are affected if your Moodle installation version matches any of the affected ranges AND the backup/restore functionality is enabled with privileged users having restore capabilities.

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 4.5.9 / 5.0.5 / 5.1.2 or later
Fixed in 4.5.95.0.55.1.2
Interim mitigation

Restrict backup restore permissions to minimal trusted administrators, validate backup file structure before restore, and apply Moodle security patches when released.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Moodle 4.5.9 (for 4.x branches), Moodle 5.0.5 (for 5.0.x), or Moodle 5.1.2 (for 5.1.x) - choose the earliest fixed version >= your current branch

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed Moodle version by checking the version.php file in the Moodle root directory
  2. 2. If running a version < 4.5.9, plan upgrade to Moodle 4.5.9 or later
  3. 3. If running version 5.0.x (>= 5.0.0 and < 5.0.5), plan upgrade to Moodle 5.0.5 or later
  4. 4. If running version 5.1.x (>= 5.1.0 and < 5.1.2), plan upgrade to Moodle 5.1.2 or later
  5. 5. Before upgrading, perform a full backup of the Moodle database and moodledata directory
  6. 6. Review the Moodle upgrade documentation for the specific version path being taken
  7. 7. Download the appropriate Moodle release from https://moodle.org/
  8. 8. Place the site in maintenance mode via Site Administration > Server > Maintenance Mode
Caveat Standard Moodle upgrade considerations apply: review plugin compatibility, test in staging environment first, and ensure PHP version compatibility with target release

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
  • Testing5.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,790
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,464.

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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-2026-26045 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