CVE-2023-5544 in Moodle
Summary
by MITRE • 11/09/2023
Wiki comments required additional sanitizing and access restrictions to prevent a stored XSS risk and potential IDOR risk.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/11/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-5544 represents a critical security flaw in wiki comment functionality that exposes systems to both stored cross-site scripting attacks and potential insecure direct object reference risks. This issue stems from insufficient input validation and access control mechanisms within the wiki platform's comment processing system, creating a pathway for malicious actors to inject persistent malicious scripts into the application's comment sections.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the inadequate sanitization of user-supplied input within the wiki comment handling mechanism. When users submit comments containing malicious payloads, the system fails to properly validate or sanitize these inputs before storing them in the database. This allows attackers to embed malicious javascript code within comments that persistently executes whenever other users view the affected content. The vulnerability specifically affects the comment storage and rendering processes, where user-generated content bypasses proper security controls that should validate and sanitize all inputs before they are processed or displayed.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risks for organizations relying on wiki platforms for collaborative work and knowledge sharing. The stored XSS vulnerability enables attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of authenticated users' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, data exfiltration, or privilege escalation. Additionally, the potential IDOR component suggests that attackers might be able to access or manipulate resources they should not have authorized access to, further expanding the attack surface. The persistent nature of stored XSS means that the malicious code remains active until manually removed, creating ongoing security risks for all users who interact with the compromised comment sections.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and CWE-284 which covers insecure direct object reference issues. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving client-side code injection and privilege escalation through web application vulnerabilities. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including comprehensive input sanitization, strict content validation, and proper access control enforcement. The recommended approach involves deploying web application firewalls, implementing proper output encoding, establishing robust input validation routines, and ensuring that all user inputs are properly escaped before being stored or rendered. Additionally, access controls should be strengthened to prevent unauthorized access to resources through proper authentication and authorization checks, particularly around comment management and user privileges. Regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in other application components.
This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and access control implementation in collaborative web applications. The combination of stored XSS and potential IDOR risks creates a particularly dangerous attack vector that can compromise user sessions and system integrity. Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation through code patches, enhanced security controls, and comprehensive security testing to prevent exploitation of this vulnerability across their wiki platforms and similar collaborative systems.