CVE-2008-0941 in Student Information System
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Eagle Software Aeries Browser Interface (ABI) 3.8.2.8 allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via an event.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/09/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-0941 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Eagle Software Aeries Browser Interface version 3.8.2.8. This security weakness resides in the web application's handling of user-supplied input data, specifically within the event processing functionality that forms part of the educational institution's student information management system. The Aeries ABI serves as a web-based interface for accessing and managing student academic records, making it a potentially attractive target for malicious actors seeking to exploit weaknesses in educational data management platforms.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the application's event handling components. When authenticated users interact with the system to create or modify events, the application fails to properly sanitize the input data before rendering it back to the user interface. This insufficient sanitization allows attackers to inject malicious scripts or HTML content that executes in the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability specifically affects the event processing module, where user-provided data is not adequately escaped or validated before being displayed in web pages, creating an environment where malicious payloads can be persisted and executed.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it enables attackers to establish persistent access to the educational institution's data management system. Remote authenticated users can leverage this weakness to execute arbitrary code in victims' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, data exfiltration, or the installation of additional malware. The attack vector requires only legitimate user authentication, which means that even authorized personnel could be compromised, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where multiple users access sensitive student information. This weakness directly violates the principle of least privilege and can be exploited to gain unauthorized access to confidential academic records, personal student data, and institutional information systems.
Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation mechanisms and output encoding to prevent this vulnerability from being exploited. The recommended mitigations include implementing strict input sanitization routines that filter or escape special characters in user-provided data, particularly in event-related fields. Additionally, the application should employ proper context-aware output encoding to ensure that any user-supplied content is rendered safely in web contexts. Security measures should also include regular input validation testing and implementation of web application firewalls to detect and prevent malicious script injection attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and represents a clear violation of the OWASP Top Ten security principles, particularly the category of injection vulnerabilities. Organizations should also consider implementing the ATT&CK framework's T1566 technique for credential access through social engineering, as this vulnerability could be exploited to establish persistent access to institutional systems through compromised user sessions. The remediation process should involve comprehensive code review of all input handling components and implementation of automated testing procedures to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced in future versions of the software.