CVE-2021-20187
Moodle Arbitrary PHP code execution by site admins via Shibboleth configuration
It was found in Moodle before version 3.10.1, 3.9.4, 3.8.7 and 3.5.16 that it was possible for site administrators to execute arbitrary PHP scripts via a PHP include used during Shibboleth authentication.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- High
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
NVD Score used
It was found in Moodle before version 3.10.1, 3.9.4, 3.8.7 and 3.5.16 that it was possible for site administrators to execute arbitrary PHP scripts via a PHP include used during Shibboleth authentication.
- Record
CVE-2021-20187- CVSS 3.1
- 7.2 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - CVSS 2.0
- 6.5 Medium
AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:P/I:P/A:P - Weakness
- CWE-94, CWE-829
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
CVE List No score
It was found in Moodle before version 3.10.1, 3.9.4, 3.8.7 and 3.5.16 that it was possible for site administrators to execute arbitrary PHP scripts via a PHP include used during Shibboleth authentication.
- Record
CVE-2021-20187- Weakness
- CWE-94
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2022-2005 No score
It was found in Moodle before version 3.10.1, 3.9.4, 3.8.7 and 3.5.16 that it was possible for site administrators to execute arbitrary PHP scripts via a PHP include used during Shibboleth authentication.
- Record
EUVD-2022-2005- Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-2jrm-gww7-wch2
Moodle Arbitrary PHP code execution by site admins via Shibboleth configuration
It was found in Moodle before version 3.10.1, 3.9.4, 3.8.7 and 3.5.16 that it was possible for site administrators to execute arbitrary PHP scripts via a PHP include used during Shibboleth authentication.
- Record
GHSA-2jrm-gww7-wch2- CVSS 3.1
- 7.2 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-94, CWE-829
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
It was found in Moodle before version 3.10.1, 3.9.4, 3.8.7 and 3.5.16 that it was possible for site administrators to execute arbitrary PHP scripts via a PHP include used during Shibboleth authentication.
- Record
CVE-2021-20187- CVSS 3.1
- 7.2 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVGHSA-2jrm-gww7-wch2
Moodle Arbitrary PHP code execution by site admins via Shibboleth configuration
It was found in Moodle before version 3.10.1, 3.9.4, 3.8.7 and 3.5.16 that it was possible for site administrators to execute arbitrary PHP scripts via a PHP include used during Shibboleth authentication.
- Record
GHSA-2jrm-gww7-wch2- CVSS 3.1
- 7.2 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-829, CWE-94
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2021-20187
It was found in Moodle before version 3.10.1, 3.9.4, 3.8.7 and 3.5.16 that it was possible for site administrators to execute arbitrary PHP scripts via a PHP include used during Shibboleth authentication.
- Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2021-20187- CVSS 3.1
- 7.2 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVBIT-moodle-2021-20187 No score
It was found in Moodle before version 3.10.1, 3.9.4, 3.8.7 and 3.5.16 that it was possible for site administrators to execute arbitrary PHP scripts via a PHP include used during Shibboleth authentication.
- Record
BIT-moodle-2021-20187- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
moodle/moodlePackagist |
3.5 up to 3.5.16 | 3.5.16 |
moodle/moodlePackagist |
3.8 up to 3.8.7 | 3.8.7 |
moodle/moodlePackagist |
3.9 up to 3.9.4 | 3.9.4 |
moodle/moodlePackagist |
3.10 up to 3.10.1 | 3.10.1 |
moodleBitnami |
before 3.5.16, 3.8.0 up to 3.8.7, 3.9.0 up to 3.9.4, 3.10.0 up to 3.10.1 | 3.5.163.8.73.9.43.10.1 |
moodle/moodlePackagist |
3.5 up to 3.5.16, plus listed versions v3.5.0v3.5.0-betav3.5.0-rc1v3.5.1v3.5.10 Show 13 moreShow lessv3.5.11v3.5.12v3.5.13v3.5.14v3.5.15v3.5.2v3.5.3v3.5.4v3.5.5v3.5.6v3.5.7v3.5.8v3.5.9 |
3.5.16 |
moodle/moodlePackagist |
3.8 up to 3.8.7, plus listed versions v3.8.0v3.8.0-betav3.8.0-rc1v3.8.1v3.8.2 Show 4 moreShow lessv3.8.3v3.8.4v3.8.5v3.8.6 |
3.8.7 |
moodle/moodlePackagist |
3.9 up to 3.9.4, plus listed versions v3.9.0v3.9.0-betav3.9.0-rc1v3.9.0-rc2v3.9.0-rc3v3.9.1v3.9.2v3.9.3 |
3.9.4 |
moodle/moodlePackagist |
3.10 up to 3.10.1, plus listed versions v3.10.0v3.10.0-betav3.10.0-rc1v3.10.0-rc2 |
3.10.1 |
moodleUbuntu:Pro:16.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 2.7.9+dfsg-12.7.10+dfsg-12.7.11+dfsg-12.7.11+dfsg-22.7.12+dfsg-13.0.3+dfsg-0ubuntu13.0.3+dfsg-0ubuntu1+esm1 |
None known |
moodleUbuntu:Pro:18.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 3.0.3+dfsg-0ubuntu13.0.3+dfsg-0ubuntu1+esm1 |
None known |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| facts | ||
| aliases | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2021-20187 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.2) in Moodle, published January 28, 2021. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 1.59%, the 75th percentile. Fixed in moodle/moodle 3.5.16.