CVE-2010-2229 in Moodle
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in blog/index.php in Moodle before 1.8.13 and 1.9.x before 1.9.9 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified parameters.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/18/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-2229 represents a critical cross-site scripting weakness affecting Moodle learning management systems. This issue resides within the blog/index.php component of Moodle versions prior to 1.8.13 and 1.9.x versions before 1.9.9, where unspecified parameters fail to properly sanitize user input. The flaw enables remote attackers to inject malicious web scripts or HTML code directly into the application's response, creating persistent security risks for all users interacting with the vulnerable system.
This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a critical weakness in web application security. The technical implementation flaw occurs when the application fails to validate or escape user-supplied data before rendering it in web pages. In the context of Moodle's blog functionality, this means that any parameter passed to blog/index.php is susceptible to malicious injection attacks. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it affects core blogging functionality that users frequently interact with, making exploitation relatively straightforward for attackers.
The operational impact of CVE-2010-2229 extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, and redirection to malicious websites. When exploited, these XSS vulnerabilities can compromise user sessions, allowing attackers to impersonate legitimate users and gain unauthorized access to course materials, personal information, and administrative functions. The attack surface is broad since blog components are commonly used by students, teachers, and administrators, increasing the potential for widespread compromise.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for Initial Access through Valid Accounts and T1059.001 for Command and Scripting Interpreter. The attack chain typically involves an attacker identifying vulnerable parameters in the blog module, crafting malicious payloads, and then delivering them through phishing emails or compromised user accounts. Organizations using affected Moodle versions face significant risk of data breaches and unauthorized access to educational content. The remediation strategy requires immediate patching to versions 1.8.13 or 1.9.9 and above, along with implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms. Additionally, administrators should conduct thorough security audits of all Moodle components and consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and prevent exploitation attempts.