diff --git a/lib/classes/plugin_manager.php b/lib/classes/plugin_manager.php
index 99d17f4dd6e..15d170ec2f0 100644
--- a/lib/classes/plugin_manager.php
+++ b/lib/classes/plugin_manager.php
@@ -288,15 +288,24 @@ class core_plugin_manager {
         foreach ($plugintypes as $type => $typedir) {
             $plugs = core_component::get_plugin_list($type);
             foreach ($plugs as $plug => $fullplug) {
+                $module = new stdClass();
                 $plugin = new stdClass();
                 $plugin->version = null;
-                $module = $plugin;
                 include($fullplug.'/version.php');
+
+                // Check if the legacy $module syntax is still used.
+                if (!is_object($module) or (!empty((array)$module))) {
+                    debugging('Unsupported $module syntax detected in version.php of the '.$type.'_'.$plug.' plugin.');
+                    $skipcache = true;
+                }
+
                 $this->presentplugins[$type][$plug] = $plugin;
             }
         }
 
-        $cache->set('present', $this->presentplugins);
+        if (empty($skipcache)) {
+            $cache->set('present', $this->presentplugins);
+        }
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/lib/upgradelib.php b/lib/upgradelib.php
index d2d07727456..dc0865f7d41 100644
--- a/lib/upgradelib.php
+++ b/lib/upgradelib.php
@@ -600,12 +600,18 @@ function upgrade_plugins_modules($startcallback, $endcallback, $verbose) {
             throw new plugin_defective_exception($component, 'Missing version.php');
         }
 
-        // TODO: Support for $module will end with Moodle 2.10 by MDL-43896. Was deprecated for Moodle 2.7 by MDL-43040.
+        $module = new stdClass();
         $plugin = new stdClass();
         $plugin->version = null;
-        $module = $plugin;
         require($fullmod .'/version.php');  // Defines $plugin with version etc.
-        $plugin = clone($module);
+
+        // Check if the legacy $module syntax is still used.
+        if (!is_object($module) or (!empty((array)$module))) {
+            throw new plugin_defective_exception($component, 'Unsupported $module syntax detected in version.php');
+        }
+
+        // Prepare the record for the {modules} table.
+        $module = clone($plugin);
         unset($module->version);
         unset($module->component);
         unset($module->dependencies);
diff --git a/mod/upgrade.txt b/mod/upgrade.txt
index 2eaa8aeb1d2..9a93e9139f2 100644
--- a/mod/upgrade.txt
+++ b/mod/upgrade.txt
@@ -3,7 +3,11 @@ information provided here is intended especially for developers.
 
 === 3.0 ===
 
-* Function scorm_view_display was renamed to scorm_print_launch to avoid confussion with new function scorm_view.
+* Dropped support for the $module in mod/xxx/version.php files (deprecated
+  since 2.7). All activity modules must use the $plugin syntax now. See
+  https://docs.moodle.org/dev/version.php for details (MDL-43896).
+* Function scorm_view_display was renamed to scorm_print_launch to avoid
+  confussion with new function scorm_view.
 
 === 2.9 ===