CVE-2008-3315 in Claroline
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in Claroline 1.8.10 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) query string to (a) announcements/messages.php; (b) lostPassword.php and (c) profile.php in auth/; (d) calendar/myagenda.php; (e) group/group.php; (f) learningPath.php, (g) learningPathList.php, and (h) module.php in learnPath/; (i) phpbb/index.php; (j) courseLog.php, (k) course_access_details.php, (l) delete_course_stats.php, (m) userLog.php, and (n) user_access_details.php in tracking/; (o) user/user.php; and (p) user/userInfo.php; the (2) view parameter to (q) tracking/courseLog.php; and the (3) toolId parameter to (r) tracking/toolaccess_details.php. NOTE: this may overlap CVE-2006-3257 and CVE-2005-1374.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/27/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2008-3315 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting Claroline version 1.8.10, a widely used open-source learning management system. This vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within multiple application components, creating numerous entry points for malicious actors to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML content into the application's response. The flaw manifests across various modules and pages, indicating a systemic weakness in the application's security architecture that affects core functionality including announcements, user management, course tracking, and learning path navigation. The vulnerability's widespread impact across multiple file paths demonstrates that the issue originates from fundamental design flaws rather than isolated component failures, making it particularly dangerous for organizations relying on this platform for educational content delivery and user management.
The technical execution of this vulnerability involves attackers exploiting the lack of proper sanitization in several key parameters including query strings, view parameters, and toolId parameters across different application modules. When users navigate to affected pages with maliciously crafted input, the application fails to properly encode or validate user-supplied data before rendering it in the web response. This allows attackers to inject JavaScript code or HTML content that executes in the context of other users' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized access to sensitive course materials. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') reflects the fundamental nature of the flaw where user input is directly incorporated into dynamically generated web pages without adequate security controls. The attack vectors span across multiple attack surfaces including user authentication, course tracking, and learning management components, making the exploitation potential particularly broad.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as it can enable attackers to completely compromise user sessions and potentially gain elevated privileges within the learning management system. When users with administrative privileges access pages containing malicious scripts, attackers could execute arbitrary commands with the privileges of those users, potentially leading to full system compromise. The vulnerability affects critical components such as course access tracking, user logs, and profile management, which contain sensitive educational data and personal information. Organizations using Claroline 1.8.10 could face significant reputational damage, regulatory compliance issues, and potential legal consequences if user data is compromised through these XSS vulnerabilities. The overlap with previously identified vulnerabilities CVE-2006-3257 and CVE-2005-1374 suggests that this represents a long-standing security issue that was not properly addressed in the application's security updates.
Security mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms across all affected application components. Organizations should implement Content Security Policy headers to prevent unauthorized script execution, ensure all user-supplied data is properly sanitized before processing, and apply comprehensive output encoding for all dynamic content. The remediation process should include updating to a patched version of Claroline or implementing web application firewall rules to filter malicious input patterns. Security teams should also conduct thorough code reviews focusing on all parameter handling across the application's modules, particularly those involving user profile management, course tracking, and learning path navigation. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components, with particular attention to the ATT&CK framework's T1059.007 technique related to command and scripting interpreter usage through XSS attacks. The vulnerability serves as a critical reminder of the importance of implementing defense-in-depth security measures and maintaining up-to-date security practices in educational technology platforms.