Digital Security in Online Education: An Analysis of Unsecured Moodle Communications during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic

The world was unprepared to face the consequences of the rapid spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and in the absence of vaccines capable of inducing immunity, physical distancing and isolation became the primary containment strategies. Activities that did not depend on physical presence transitioned to digital platforms. The implementation of technological platforms was required to ensure the continuation of work and educational activities. Millions of students and teachers were forced to transition to online modalities, resulting in an unprecedented shift within educational systems around the world. Across all levels of education, from primary to higher education, Learning Management System (LMS) platforms were adopted to manage courses, assess learning activities, and maintain institutional communication. Various platforms were implemented, with the Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment (Moodle) standing out due to its open-source nature, immediate availability, and ease of deployment in resource-constrained environments. Nevertheless, the urgency of the transition left limited opportunities in some cases to adequately plan and implement digital security measures. Several Moodle installations were deployed under the HTTP protocol, allowing unencrypted communication between clients and servers and exposing sensitive information such as usernames and passwords. Our study covers 12 countries across four regions (LACNIC, ARIN, NCC, and APNIC), based on the statistics available for Moodle installations in November 2021 and November 2025. The results indicate a 15.20% decrease in the number of Moodle installations in the selected countries between 2021 and 2025. Most of the countries analyzed exhibited a decrease in the number of installations using the HTTPS protocol, while only a few showed an increase. In contrast, the number of installations using the HTTP protocol decreased substantially in all countries included in the study. A significant limitation is the inability to identify the communication protocol used by installations classified as private and unavailable. These installations accounted for a relative frequency exceeding 80% in both 2021 and 2025. The adoption of security controls should be encouraged, and individuals responsible for deploying and administering these systems should receive adequate technical training or seek guidance from cybersecurity professionals. Although the ease of installing LMS platforms facilitates their widespread adoption, inadequate configuration or the omission of essential security controls may compromise the protection of the sensitive information they manage.