CVE-2022-45915 is a high-severity vulnerability identified in ILIAS, an open-source web-based learning management system widely used in educational institutions and organizations. This vulnerability affects versions of ILIAS prior to 7.16 and is classified as an OS Command Injection (CWE-78). OS Command Injection occurs when an application constructs a command string using untrusted input without proper sanitization, allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary operating system commands on the server hosting the application. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.8 reflects the critical nature of this flaw, with an attack vector of network (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), requiring low privileges (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), and impacting confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H). This means an attacker with limited privileges but network access can exploit the vulnerability without user interaction, potentially gaining full control over the affected system. The vulnerability’s scope is unchanged (S:U), indicating the impact is confined to the vulnerable component. Although no known exploits are reported in the wild, the nature of OS Command Injection vulnerabilities typically allows attackers to execute arbitrary commands, which can lead to data theft, system compromise, or service disruption. The lack of vendor or product-specific information in the provided data suggests the vulnerability is specifically tied to ILIAS software versions before 7.16. Given that ILIAS is primarily used in academic and training environments, exploitation could compromise sensitive educational data and disrupt critical learning services.

For European organizations, particularly universities, research institutions, and training providers that rely on ILIAS for e-learning and course management, this vulnerability poses a significant risk. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to confidential student and staff data, including personal information and academic records, violating data protection regulations such as GDPR. Integrity of educational content and records could be compromised, undermining trust and operational continuity. Availability impacts could disrupt online learning platforms, causing downtime and affecting large user bases. Given the widespread adoption of ILIAS in German-speaking countries and parts of Central and Eastern Europe, the threat could have a broad regional impact. Additionally, the ability to execute arbitrary OS commands may allow attackers to pivot within networks, potentially targeting other critical infrastructure within educational or governmental institutions. The high severity and ease of exploitation increase the urgency for affected organizations to address this vulnerability promptly.

To mitigate CVE-2022-45915, organizations should prioritize upgrading ILIAS installations to version 7.16 or later, where the vulnerability is patched. If immediate upgrading is not feasible, administrators should implement strict input validation and sanitization on all user-supplied data that interacts with system commands. Employing web application firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block command injection patterns can provide interim protection. Restricting the privileges of the ILIAS application user on the operating system to the minimum necessary can limit the impact of potential exploitation. Network segmentation should be enforced to isolate the ILIAS server from sensitive backend systems. Regular monitoring of logs for suspicious command execution attempts and anomalous behavior is essential for early detection. Additionally, organizations should conduct security awareness training for administrators to recognize and respond to exploitation attempts. Finally, maintaining up-to-date backups of critical data ensures recovery capability in case of compromise.