CVE-2024-48897
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes an improper authorization vulnerability in Moodle where users can edit or delete RSS feeds they shouldn't have permission to modify. It affects Moodle installations with RSS feed functionality enabled. Attackers with valid user accounts could manipulate RSS feeds they don't own.
💻 Affected Systems
- Moodle
📦 What is this software?
Moodle by Moodle
Moodle by Moodle
Moodle by Moodle
Moodle by Moodle
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
An attacker could delete or modify critical RSS feeds used for course content distribution, disrupting educational workflows and potentially removing important information sources.
Likely Case
Users with basic permissions could accidentally or intentionally modify RSS feeds belonging to other users or courses, causing minor content disruption.
If Mitigated
With proper authorization checks, users can only modify RSS feeds they have explicit permission to edit, preventing unauthorized changes.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated access to Moodle; attacker needs valid user credentials
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Check Moodle security advisories for specific patched versions
Vendor Advisory: https://moodle.org/security/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Check Moodle security advisory for CVE-2024-48897. 2. Upgrade to patched version. 3. Apply patch if available for current version. 4. Verify RSS feed permissions are properly enforced.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable RSS feed functionality
allTemporarily disable RSS feed features until patch can be applied
Navigate to Moodle admin panel > Site administration > Advanced features > Enable RSS feeds (set to disabled)
Restrict RSS feed permissions
allReview and tighten RSS feed access controls
Review role permissions for RSS feed management in Moodle admin panel
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls and monitor RSS feed modification logs
- Educate users about proper RSS feed management and report any unauthorized changes
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Moodle version and compare against patched versions in security advisory; test if users can modify RSS feeds they shouldn't have access toCheck Version:
Check Moodle version in Site administration > Notifications page or via CLI: php admin/cli/version.phpVerify Fix Applied:
After patching, test that users can only edit/delete RSS feeds they have explicit permission to modify📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unauthorized RSS feed modification attempts in Moodle logs
- Multiple RSS feed edits/deletes from single user account
Network Indicators:
- Unusual patterns of RSS feed management requests
SIEM Query:
Search for moodle_logs where eventname contains 'rss' AND (action contains 'edit' OR 'delete') from unauthorized users