CVE-2020-1756Network attack vector

Limited CLI access via insufficient webrunner escaping

Published Aug 16, 2022 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

Improper input escaping in Moodle LMS before 3.8.2, 3.7.5, 3.6.9, and 3.5.11 allows remote authenticated users limited CLI access. The admin PHPUnit webrunner accepts inputs without sufficient escaping, allowing them to alter the intended runner operation. Site administrator privileges are required, and the consequence is limited server CLI access in hosting models that withhold shell access from Moodle administrators.

CVSS severity7.2
High
EPSS probability0.99%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Improper input escaping in Moodle LMS before 3.8.2, 3.7.5, 3.6.9, and 3.5.11 allows remote authenticated users limited CLI access. The admin PHPUnit webrunner accepts inputs without sufficient escaping, allowing them to alter the intended runner operation. Site administrator privileges are required, and the consequence is limited server CLI access in hosting models that withhold shell access from Moodle administrators.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-1756
Published
Aug 16, 2022
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
Moodle
Product
Moodle LMS
Classifications
CWE-20, T1059
Attack vector
network
Privileges
admin

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 16, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 4, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=3.8 to 3.8.1, 3.7 to 3.7.4, 3.6 to 3.6.8, 3.5 to 3.5.10 and earlier unsupported versions

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesadmin

What is affected?

Moodle · Moodle LMSversion=3.8 to 3.8.1, 3.7 to 3.7.4, 3.6 to 3.6.8, 3.5 to 3.5.10 and earlier unsupported versions

Published CVSS scores

7.2NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesadmin
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-20Improper Input Validation
T1059Command and Scripting Interpreter

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo