CVE-2004-2235 in Moodle
Summary
by MITRE
Unknown vulnerability in Moodle before 1.2 has unknown impact and attack vectors, related to improper filtering of text.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/25/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-2235 affects Moodle versions prior to 1.2 and represents a critical security flaw related to inadequate text filtering mechanisms within the learning management system. This vulnerability falls under the broader category of improper input validation and output encoding issues that have historically plagued web applications. The weakness manifests in the system's inability to properly sanitize user-supplied content, creating potential attack vectors that could be exploited by malicious actors to compromise the platform's integrity and security posture.
This vulnerability is particularly concerning because it relates to text filtering processes that are fundamental to web application security. The improper filtering of text input allows attackers to potentially inject malicious code or content that could be executed within the context of other users' browsers or system processes. The lack of specific details regarding the exact attack vectors and impact levels in the initial description suggests that this vulnerability may have been classified as a zero-day issue or was discovered through internal testing rather than public disclosure. The vulnerability's classification as a text filtering issue aligns with common security weaknesses such as those described in CWE-116, which addresses improper encoding or escaping of output, and CWE-79, which covers cross-site scripting vulnerabilities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data corruption or unauthorized access. When text filtering mechanisms fail, attackers can potentially manipulate the application's behavior through various injection techniques including but not limited to cross-site scripting attacks, code injection, or data manipulation. In a learning management system context, this could lead to unauthorized access to student records, course materials, or instructor data, potentially compromising the privacy and security of educational information. The vulnerability's presence in Moodle before version 1.2 suggests it was present in a widely used educational platform that likely serves thousands of institutions globally, amplifying the potential scope of exploitation.
The attack surface for this vulnerability would typically involve any functionality within Moodle that accepts user-generated content, including but not limited to forum posts, assignment submissions, comments, or any other text input fields. Attackers could potentially leverage this weakness to execute malicious scripts in the browsers of other users, leading to session hijacking, data theft, or further compromise of the system. The security implications align with ATT&CK technique T1059, which covers command and scripting interpreter, as attackers could potentially use text injection to execute malicious code within the application environment. Additionally, this vulnerability could facilitate privilege escalation or lateral movement within the system if proper input validation is not implemented across all user-facing text entry points.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability would primarily focus on implementing robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the Moodle platform. Organizations should immediately upgrade to Moodle version 1.2 or later where this vulnerability has been addressed. The implementation of proper content security policies, including the use of HTML sanitization libraries and regular security audits of text processing components, would help prevent similar issues. Security measures should also include monitoring for unusual text patterns or content that might indicate injection attempts, along with regular penetration testing to identify potential gaps in the system's filtering mechanisms. The fix for this vulnerability would typically involve strengthening the text sanitization processes and ensuring that all user-supplied content is properly escaped or encoded before being processed or displayed within the application environment.