CVE-2014-1877 in Dokeos
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in Dokeos 2.1.1 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) Phone, (2) Street, (3) Address line, (4) Zip code, or (5) City field to main/auth/profile.php; (6) Subject field to main/social/groups.php; or (7) Message body field to main/messages/view_message.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/07/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-1877 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting Dokeos version 2.1.1, a widely used learning management system. This vulnerability resides in multiple input validation points within the application's user profile and messaging modules, creating persistent attack vectors that could compromise user sessions and data integrity. The flaw stems from inadequate sanitization of user-supplied data in several key fields, allowing malicious actors to execute arbitrary script code within the context of other users' browsers.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the Dokeos platform's web application framework. Attackers can exploit this weakness by injecting malicious JavaScript code into specific fields such as phone numbers, street addresses, zip codes, and city information within the profile.php module. Similarly, the subject field in groups.php and message body in view_message.php present comparable risks. These injection points lack proper HTML entity encoding and input sanitization, enabling attackers to craft payloads that execute when legitimate users view the affected content. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and represents a classic example of unsafe direct object reference patterns in user input handling.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data corruption, potentially enabling attackers to hijack user sessions, steal sensitive information, or manipulate the application's functionality. When victims view pages containing malicious code injected through these fields, their browsers execute the embedded scripts, which could redirect them to phishing sites, steal authentication cookies, or perform unauthorized actions within the application context. The persistence of these vulnerabilities across multiple modules increases the attack surface significantly, as different user roles and access levels may encounter the malicious content. This vulnerability directly maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1566 for social engineering and T1059 for command and scripting interpreter usage, as attackers can leverage these XSS vectors to establish persistent access and execute further malicious activities.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application. The most effective approach involves sanitizing all user-supplied data using proper HTML entity encoding before rendering content in web pages. Developers should implement Content Security Policy headers to prevent unauthorized script execution and employ parameterized input validation to reject potentially malicious content. Regular security audits and code reviews should specifically target input handling routines to identify similar vulnerabilities. Additionally, the Dokeos platform should be updated to versions that address these XSS vulnerabilities, as the original 2.1.1 release contained multiple security flaws that have been resolved in subsequent releases. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and monitoring systems to detect and prevent exploitation attempts targeting these specific injection points.