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Moodle EUVDEUVD-2026-113818

| CVE-2026-119553 HIGH
Relative Path Traversal (CWE-23)
2026-10-30 VulnCheck GHSA-7rxw-r686-cf95
7.1
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: VulnCheck
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Authenticate as teacher with import rights
  2. Delivery
    Craft Blackboard-format zip with ../ in img src
  3. Exploit
    Upload via question/lesson import
  4. Execution
    Parser copies config.php to draft area
  5. Impact
    Download file and harvest DB credentials

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V5 - File Handling Relative path traversal prevention
Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires an authenticated account possessing the question-import capability (question bank import) or lesson-edit rights - i.e. a Teacher-level role or higher - so this cannot be triggered anonymously or by self-registered students by default. The specific trigger is uploading a crafted archive in the Blackboard question import format where img src values embed ../ path-traversal sequences; the importer then resolves these against the server filesystem and copies targeted files (e.g. config.php) into the attacker's draft file area. Limiting factors: the attacker must already hold import/lesson-edit privileges, must use the Blackboard import format path specifically, and value depends on sensitive files (config.php holds DB credentials and the site salt) being readable by the web server user. There is no user-interaction or non-default-configuration requirement beyond having the privileged role.

Impact

This is a credentialed information-disclosure flaw, not a remote-unauthenticated breach. The CVSS 4.0 vector (CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N) scores 7.1 and is internally consistent with the description: network-reachable, low complexity, no user interaction, but PR:L - exploitation requires an authenticated account holding question-import or lesson-edit capability (typically a Teacher role). The high confidentiality impact (VC:H) is justified because the traversal can copy server files such as config.php, which on Moodle contains database credentials and the site secret salt, into the attacker's draft area where they can retrieve them. Integrity and availability are untouched (VI:N/VA:N), so this is a read-only exposure. No EPSS score was supplied in the input, so exploitation probability cannot be quantified. The vulnerability is NOT listed in CISA KEV and there is no confirmation of active exploitation; the vuln.today priority is 'this_week' (not act_now/emergency), consistent with a serious-but-not-fire issue. Public research exists (abraxaslabs.tech writeup plus a VulnCheck advisory), so treat this as realistically exploitable by anyone with teacher-level access - a meaningful insider/compromised-account risk on multi-tenant or large Moodle installations - but it is gated behind privileges rather than being wormable or mass-exploitable.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A user with a Teacher role (or anyone who has compromised such an account) on a vulnerable Moodle site navigates to the question bank or lesson import feature, selects the Blackboard import format, and uploads a crafted zip whose image src attributes contain ../ traversal sequences. The parser resolves those paths against the server filesystem and copies sensitive files such as config.php into the user's draft file area, from which the attacker downloads database credentials and the site salt. A public research write-up describing the technique exists, lowering the effort required.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
No patch listed yet 0.4% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 30, 2026

Path traversal in Moodle's Blackboard question-import format lets an authenticated Teacher-level user copy arbitrary files readable by the web server - notably config.php, which holds database credentials and the site salt - into their own draft file area. Affected releases are 5.3.0, 5.2.0 through 5.2.4, 5.1.0 through 5.1.8, 5.0.0 through 5.0.11 and 4.5.x through 4.5.15; scoring is CVSS 4.0 7.1 (assessed as CVSS 3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/C:H/I:N/A:N), a confidentiality-only impact gated behind existing question-import or lesson-edit rights. There is no CISA KEV listing and no confirmed working exploit code; a public Abraxas Labs research writeup describes the flaw, and the issue is prioritized for remediation this week.

RemediationAI

No vendor-released fixed version is identified in the available data, so mitigation must target the exploitation prerequisites. Remove or tightly constrain the moodle/question:import and lesson-edit capabilities from roles that do not strictly need them and audit any custom role granting them, accepting that affected teachers lose self-service question import; alternatively, avoid the vulnerable code path by not offering the Blackboard Six import format to Teacher-level users (question formats can be managed from Site administration > Plugins > Question formats), which blocks the traversal but prevents legitimate Blackboard migrations. Ordinary filesystem permissions around config.php will not help on their own, because the importer executes as the web-server user and only needs that account to be able to read the file - keep additional secrets out of web-readable locations where possible. Track Moodle's security announcements at moodle.org/security and the VulnCheck advisory at https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/moodle-through-5.3.0-5.2.4-5.1.8-5.0.11-and-4.5.15-blackboard-import-path-traversal for the patched release, and treat unexpected files appearing in user draft areas as a possible indicator of exploitation.

Affected VersionsENISA

Moodle 5.3.0
Moodle 5.1.0 ≤5.1.8
Moodle 0 ≤4.5.15
Moodle 5.2.0 ≤5.2.4
Moodle 5.0.0 ≤5.0.11

Affected Packages

euvd moodle no fix

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

The flaw is a relative path traversal (CWE-23) in Moodle's bundled Blackboard Six question-import format, implemented in public/question/format/blackboard_six/formatbase.php (the advisory references lines 128-133 on the v5.3.0 tag). When a teacher uploads a Blackboard-format archive, img src values inside the packaged question content are resolved by the importer instead of being sanitized or confined to the extraction directory, so ../ sequences escape the intended path and cause server-side files to be read and copied into the uploader's draft file area through Moodle's file storage API. Because the operation runs as the PHP/web-server user, any file that account can read is in scope, with config.php the highest-value target since it stores database credentials and the site salt. The code path is reachable only through the Blackboard import format and only by a user holding question-import or lesson-edit capability, and only confidentiality impact is reported - no integrity or availability effect.

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Severity by source

Vendor (VulnCheck) PRIMARY 7.1 HIGH
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
vuln.today AI 6.5 MEDIUM

Network-reachable importer, low complexity, but needs teacher-level question-import/lesson-edit privilege (PR:L); reads server files like config.php (C:H), with no integrity or availability impact and scope unchanged within the application.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (VulnCheck).

CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Requirements
None
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Vulnerable system: Confidentiality
High
Vulnerable system: Integrity
None
Vulnerable system: Availability
None
Subsequent system: Confidentiality
None
Subsequent system: Integrity
None
Subsequent system: Availability
None

DescriptionCVE.org

Moodle 5.3.0, 5.2.0 through 5.2.4, 5.1.0 through 5.1.8, 5.0.0 through 5.0.11, and through 4.5.15 contains a path traversal vulnerability in the Blackboard question import format. Teachers with question import or lesson edit rights can upload a crafted zip with img src values containing ../ sequences, copying server files like config.php into their draft area.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

A high-severity path traversal flaw in the Blackboard question-import feature of Moodle (CVE-2026-119553) enables an authenticated Teacher-level user to copy sensitive server files-most critically config.php, which stores database credentials and the site salt-into their own draft area. This creates a direct risk of unauthorized access to institutional databases and potential compromise of other systems where those credentials are reused. Given that teacher accounts are typically widely distributed across academic units, leadership should treat this as a significant confidentiality breach vector requiring immediate remediation prioritization.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations: restrict Teacher-level question-import and lesson-edit rights to a minimal set of trusted users; disable the Blackboard question-import format if not required; implement web server rules to prevent draft file areas from reading files outside intended directories; monitor for suspicious file copy operations and rotate database credentials as a precaution.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.4%
Top 64% exploitable
Prevalence
High
Moodle is one of the most widely deployed LMS platforms worldwide
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.4%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

36
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +36
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Path traversal exploits occur when applications use user-controlled input to construct file system paths without proper validation.

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