CVE-2025-11344 is a code injection vulnerability identified in the Certificate Import Handler component of the ILIAS e-learning platform, affecting versions up to 8.23, 9.13, and 10.1. The vulnerability arises from improper validation or sanitization of input data during the certificate import process, allowing an attacker to inject malicious code that the system subsequently executes. This leads to remote code execution (RCE) without requiring authentication or privileges, although user interaction is necessary to trigger the exploit. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-94, indicating unsafe dynamic code generation or evaluation. The CVSS 4.0 base score is 5.3 (medium), reflecting network attack vector, low complexity, no privileges required, but requiring user interaction and resulting in low confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts. The flaw affects a core component responsible for handling digital certificates, which are critical for secure communications and authentication within ILIAS. The vendor has released fixed versions 8.24, 9.14, and 10.2 that address this issue, and upgrading is strongly recommended. No public exploits or active exploitation campaigns have been reported to date, but the potential for impactful attacks exists given the nature of RCE vulnerabilities.

For European organizations, particularly universities, schools, and government agencies that rely on ILIAS for e-learning and digital collaboration, this vulnerability poses a significant risk. Successful exploitation could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code remotely, potentially leading to data breaches, unauthorized access to sensitive educational or personal data, disruption of services, or use of compromised systems as footholds for further network intrusion. The requirement for user interaction may limit mass exploitation but targeted phishing or social engineering campaigns could facilitate attacks. Given ILIAS's widespread adoption in German-speaking countries and other parts of Europe, the impact could be substantial if unpatched. Additionally, compromised systems could undermine trust in digital education platforms and cause regulatory compliance issues under GDPR if personal data is exposed.

Organizations should immediately upgrade affected ILIAS instances to versions 8.24, 9.14, or 10.2 as provided by the vendor. Until upgrades are applied, administrators should restrict access to the certificate import functionality to trusted users only and monitor logs for suspicious activity related to certificate imports. Implement network-level protections such as web application firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block anomalous inputs targeting the certificate import handler. Conduct user awareness training to reduce the risk of social engineering attacks that could trigger the vulnerability. Regularly audit and review installed plugins or customizations that interact with certificate management to ensure they do not introduce additional risks. Finally, maintain up-to-date backups and incident response plans to quickly recover from potential compromises.