CVE-2016-2159
MEDIUMCVE-2016-2159 is a medium-severity (CVSS 4.3) CWE-284 vulnerability in moodle/moodle. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2016-2159 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Moodle External function mod_assign_save_submission does not check due dates
Blast Radius
moodle/moodle🐘moodle/moodle🐘moodle/moodle🐘moodle/moodleReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Packagist packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
The save_submission function in mod/assign/externallib.php in Moodle through 2.6.11, 2.7.x before 2.7.13, 2.8.x before 2.8.11, 2.9.x before 2.9.5, and 3.0.x before 3.0.3 allows remote authenticated users to bypass intended due-date restrictions by leveraging the student role for a web-service request.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐘Packagist | moodle/moodle | ≥ 2.7&&< 2.7.13 | 2.7.13 |
| 🐘Packagist | moodle/moodle | ≥ 2.8&&< 2.8.11 | 2.8.11 |
| 🐘Packagist | moodle/moodle | ≥ 2.9&&< 2.9.5 | 2.9.5 |
| 🐘Packagist | moodle/moodle | ≥ 3.0&&< 3.0.3 | 3.0.3 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for moodle/moodle. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update moodle/moodle to 2.7.13 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2016-2159 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2016-2159 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2016-2159. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2016-2159 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2016-2159 across Packagist dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.