VulnerabilityPublished 16 Dec 2025

CVE-2025-68270: openedx edx-platform · Missing Authorization

Affects openedx edx-platformSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 9.9 Critical · fixed in 3.1 : patch openedx edx-platform as a priority.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 09:15 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

9.9Critical

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 24% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 3.1

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:L

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Changed
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: Low

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Changed: An exploited vulnerability can affect resources beyond the security scope managed by the security authority of the vulnerable component. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are different and managed by different security authorities.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: High: There is a total loss of integrity, or a complete loss of protection. For example, the attacker is able to modify any/all files protected by the impacted component. Alternatively, only some files can be modified, but malicious modification would present a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.
Availability: Low: Performance is reduced or there are interruptions in resource availability. Even if repeated exploitation of the vulnerability is possible, the attacker does not have the ability to completely deny service to legitimate users. The resources in the impacted component are either partially available all of the time, or fully available only some of the time, but overall there is no direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 16 Dec 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
GitHubopenedx/edx-platform`pkg:github/openedx/edx-platform`Other threats	Affected–	Fixed in–

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

Organizations should immediately update their edx-platform installations to include the fix introduced in commit 05d0d0936daf82c476617257aa6c35f0cd4ca060 or later versions. Until patched, administrators must audit role assignments to ensure that CourseLimitedStaffRole is only granted at the course level, not at the organization level, to prevent unauthorized access. Implement strict role-based access controls (RBAC) and regularly review permissions to avoid privilege escalation. Employ monitoring and logging of course access and modifications to detect suspicious activities promptly. Consider deploying web application firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect anomalous API calls related to course editing. Educate staff on the risks of improper role assignments and enforce the principle of least privilege. Finally, maintain an incident response plan tailored to learning management systems to quickly address any exploitation attempts.

Description

CVE-2025-68270 is a critical missing authorization vulnerability in the Open edX edx-platform that allows users with CourseLimitedStaffRole assigned at the organization level to access and edit courses in the studio interface improperly. This flaw permits unauthorized course listing and editing, violating intended access controls. The vulnerability affects versions prior to commit 05d0d0936daf82c476617257aa6c35f0cd4ca060, which contains the fix. Exploitation requires low privileges but no user interaction, and it can lead to full confidentiality and integrity compromise of course content with limited availability impact. No known exploits are reported in the wild yet. European educational institutions and organizations using Open edX are at risk, especially those with broad role assignments at the organizational level. Immediate patching and role assignment audits are recommended to mitigate this threat.

Impact

For European organizations, particularly educational institutions and e-learning providers using Open edX, this vulnerability poses a severe risk. Unauthorized access and editing of course materials can lead to data breaches involving student information, intellectual property theft, and disruption of educational services. The integrity of course content is critical for maintaining academic standards and trust; unauthorized modifications could undermine this trust and cause reputational damage. Confidentiality breaches may expose sensitive student data or proprietary course content, potentially violating GDPR and other data protection regulations. Although availability impact is low, the broader consequences on data integrity and confidentiality are significant. Organizations with decentralized role management or those assigning CourseLimitedStaffRole at the organizational level are especially vulnerable. This could affect universities, training providers, and corporate learning departments across Europe that rely on Open edX for course delivery and management.

CWE-862Missing Authorization (opens in a new tab)
Class weaknessLikelihood of exploit: HighCWE Top 25 (2025): #4OWASP Top 10 A01:2025: Broken Access Control (opens in a new tab)
The product does not perform an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action.
Architecture and Design
Divide the product into anonymous, normal, privileged, and administrative areas. Reduce the attack surface by carefully mapping roles with data and functionality. Use role-based access control (RBAC) to enforce the roles at the appropriate boundaries.
Architecture and Design
Ensure that access control checks are performed related to the business logic. These checks may be different than the access control checks that are applied to more generic resources such as files, connections, processes, memory, and database records.
Architecture and Design · Libraries or Frameworks
Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Authorization (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V8.3.8 (opens in a new tab)
V13.4.2 (opens in a new tab)
V7.2.2 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Exploitation of Thunderbolt Protection Flaws (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 23 Dec 2025, 19:33 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-862

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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