CVE-2005-1076 in WebCT
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the discussion board functionality for WebCT Campus Edition 4.1 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the message field.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/07/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-1076 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the discussion board component of WebCT Campus Edition 4.1, a widely deployed learning management system used by educational institutions. This vulnerability resides in the message field processing functionality where user input is not properly sanitized or validated before being rendered back to other users within the web interface. The flaw enables remote attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of other users' browsers, potentially compromising the security of the entire educational platform and its user base.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting vulnerabilities where untrusted data is improperly incorporated into web pages without appropriate validation or encoding. The vulnerability occurs because the WebCT system fails to implement proper input sanitization measures when processing user-generated content in discussion board messages. Attackers can exploit this weakness by embedding malicious javascript code or html tags within the message field, which then gets executed when other users view the affected discussion thread. This type of injection attack leverages the trust relationship between the web application and its users, allowing the malicious code to run with the privileges of the victim's browser session.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, data exfiltration, and unauthorized access to sensitive educational information. Given that WebCT Campus Edition serves educational institutions, the potential damage includes exposure of student records, academic performance data, and confidential communications between instructors and students. The vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of the learning management system, potentially compromising the entire digital educational environment and violating data protection regulations. Attackers could exploit this flaw to gain unauthorized access to course materials, manipulate grades, or even create backdoor access points within the institution's learning platform.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate implementation of proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the WebCT system. Organizations should deploy web application firewalls to filter malicious content and implement content security policies to prevent script execution in user-generated content. The system should sanitize all user inputs through proper encoding techniques such as html entity encoding before rendering content in web pages. Additionally, regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the learning management system. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of implementing robust security controls in educational technology platforms, as highlighted by ATT&CK technique T1566 which covers the exploitation of web application vulnerabilities for initial access and privilege escalation within targeted environments. Organizations should also consider implementing least privilege access controls and regular security updates to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited in other components of their educational technology infrastructure.