CVE-2008-1222 in Open Source Learning And Knowledge Management Tool
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Dokeos 1.8.4 before SP3 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/11/2017
The CVE-2008-1222 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in Dokeos learning management system version 1.8.4 prior to service pack 3. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is one of the most prevalent and dangerous web application security issues. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to inject malicious web scripts or HTML content into the application, potentially compromising user sessions and enabling various attack vectors including session hijacking, data theft, and privilege escalation. Dokeos, being a widely used open-source e-learning platform, made this vulnerability particularly concerning as it could affect educational institutions and organizations relying on the system for online learning management.
The technical nature of this XSS vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the Dokeos application. Attackers could exploit this weakness through unspecified vectors, which typically include user input fields, URL parameters, or HTTP headers where the application fails to properly sanitize or escape user-supplied data before rendering it in web pages. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that it affects the core functionality of the learning management system, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate course content, user interfaces, or administrative functions. The lack of specific vector details in the original description suggests that multiple entry points within the application may have been susceptible to this type of injection attack.
The operational impact of CVE-2008-1222 extends beyond simple data corruption or display issues, as XSS vulnerabilities can enable sophisticated attack chains that compromise entire user sessions and organizational security postures. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could execute malicious scripts in the context of authenticated users' browsers, potentially gaining access to sensitive course materials, user personal information, or administrative controls. This could lead to unauthorized content modification, data exfiltration, or even complete system compromise if the attacker can escalate privileges through the vulnerable application. The vulnerability's presence in Dokeos 1.8.4 before SP3 indicates that this was a known issue that required immediate patching, as the service pack 3 release specifically addressed these security concerns.
Organizations using Dokeos systems should have implemented immediate mitigations including applying the available service pack 3 update, which would have contained the necessary security patches. Additional defensive measures could have included input validation improvements, output encoding mechanisms, and regular security audits of the application's codebase. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper secure coding practices and the need for continuous security monitoring in web applications, particularly those handling sensitive educational data. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability would map to the T1059.007 technique for script injection, potentially leading to further exploitation through T1566 for initial access and T1071 for command and control communications. The incident underscores the necessity of maintaining up-to-date software versions and implementing comprehensive web application security testing procedures to prevent such vulnerabilities from being exploited in real-world environments.