Integrated Intrusion Detection And Prevention Model For Moodle Learning Management System

Abstract

This study developed and evaluated an integrated intrusion detection and prevention (IDP) model for Moodle LearningManagement System (LMS), utilizing Snort 3, Open-Source Security (OSSEC), ModSecurity, and Moodle's securitysettings. The increasing security threats facing LMS platforms was addressed in the study by leveraging the strengths ofeach tool: Snort 3 for network-level detection, OSSEC for host-based monitoring, ModSecurity for web applicationprotection, and Moodle’s native security features for enhanced control. An experimental approach was adopted,beginning with a literature review to identify vulnerabilities, followed by system design, tool configuration, andintegration. The model was tested against simulated attacks, with performance measured by detection accuracy. Theresults demonstrated the model's effectiveness in identifying and mitigating common security threats within Moodle LMSsuch as distributed denial of service, brute force attack, SQL injection and aggressive scan. The study concludes byrecommending the deployment of the IDP model in a live environment for both private/individual owned and publicowned Moodle platforms, for the provision of a robust framework for enhancing security. This work contributes to thebroader field of LMS security through the provision of a comprehensive, multi-layered approach to protectingeducational platforms from cyber threats