CVE-2004-2015 in WebCT
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in WebCT Campus Edition allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary HTML or web script via (1) iframe, (2) img, or (3) object tags.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/25/2018
The CVE-2004-2015 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in WebCT Campus Edition, a widely used learning management system in educational institutions during the early 2000s. This vulnerability resides in the application's handling of user input within web page content, specifically affecting how the system processes and renders HTML elements submitted through various attack vectors. The flaw enables malicious actors to inject arbitrary HTML or JavaScript code into web pages viewed by other users, creating a persistent security risk that undermines the integrity of the learning platform. The vulnerability is particularly concerning given the educational environment's reliance on WebCT for course delivery, student communication, and administrative functions, where user trust and data confidentiality are paramount.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability occurs when the WebCT Campus Edition application fails to properly sanitize or escape user-supplied input before rendering it within web pages. Attackers can exploit this weakness by submitting malicious content containing iframe, img, or object HTML tags that contain embedded script code. These tags are commonly used in web development to embed external content or multimedia elements, but when manipulated maliciously, they become vehicles for executing arbitrary code in the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability specifically affects how the application processes these three HTML elements, suggesting that the sanitization mechanisms are insufficiently configured to handle potentially dangerous attributes or nested content within these tags. This type of vulnerability maps directly to CWE-79, which defines Cross-site Scripting as a common weakness in web applications where untrusted data is improperly handled during web page generation.
The operational impact of CVE-2004-2015 extends beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it creates a persistent threat vector that can be exploited across multiple user sessions and interactions within the WebCT environment. An attacker could potentially execute scripts that steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or manipulate the learning platform's functionality to gain unauthorized access to student records, course materials, or administrative controls. The vulnerability affects the entire user base of the platform, as any user viewing content that contains the malicious script injection will be subject to the attacker's code execution. This creates a particularly dangerous scenario in educational settings where multiple users interact with shared course content, potentially allowing a single compromised user to affect numerous other users within the same learning environment. The attack surface is further expanded by the fact that these HTML tags are commonly used in legitimate course materials, making the vulnerability harder to detect and prevent.
Organizations using WebCT Campus Edition should implement multiple layers of defense to address this vulnerability, starting with immediate input validation and output encoding mechanisms that prevent malicious HTML tags from being processed. The recommended mitigations include implementing strict HTML sanitization that filters or removes potentially dangerous attributes from iframe, img, and object tags before content is stored or displayed. Additionally, organizations should deploy Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict the execution of inline scripts and limit the sources from which external resources can be loaded. The implementation of proper input validation aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213, which focuses on data from information repositories, as it addresses the root cause of information exposure through improper input handling. Security patches should be applied immediately, as this vulnerability was identified in 2004 and represents a well-known weakness that has been documented in security advisories for educational software platforms. Regular security assessments and user education about potential XSS threats are essential components of a comprehensive defense strategy, particularly in environments where sensitive educational data is processed and stored within web-based applications.