CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2021-41152 — OpenOlat is a web-based e-learning platform for teaching, learning, assessment and communication, an LMS, a learning management system

High CVSS 7.7

OpenOlat is a web-based e-learning platform for teaching, learning, assessment and communication, an LMS, a learning management system. In affected versions by manipulating the HTTP request an attacker can modify the path of a requested file download in the folder component to point to anywhere on the target system. The attack could be used to read any file accessible in the web root folder or outside, depending on the configuration of the system and the properly configured permission of the application server user. The attack requires an OpenOlat user account or the enabled guest user feature together with the usage of the folder component in a course. The attack does not allow writing of arbitrary files, it allows only reading of files and also only ready of files that the attacker knows the exact path which is very unlikely at least for OpenOlat data files. The problem is fixed in version 15.5.8 and 16.0.1 It is advised to upgrade to version 16.0.x. There are no known workarounds to fix this problem, an upgrade is necessary.

Severity
High
CVSS
7.7 (3.1)
Published
2021-10-18
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
software/application
Weaknesses
CWE-22, CWE-23

Affected products

  • frentix / openolat

Matched remediation archetype

Path traversal, unsafe upload, and file handling

This catalog composition supplies bounded fallback guidance. Explicitly reviewed curated workflows load with the complete record below.

Check exposure

  • Trace untrusted filenames, archive entries, URLs, and path segments into read, write, include, extraction, and upload operations.
  • Identify filesystem roots, mount permissions, symbolic-link behavior, archive handling, and whether uploaded content is web-accessible or executable.
  • Review canonicalization and containment checks across supported operating systems and storage backends.

Remediate safely

  • Generate server-side storage identifiers and resolve paths beneath a fixed root using filesystem-aware containment checks.
  • Reject absolute, parent-relative, alternate-separator, device, link, and archive entries that escape the intended root.
  • Store uploads outside executable or served paths, validate type and size, and use private atomic temporary files.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

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