CVE-2004-2023 in Zen Cart
Summary
by MITRE
SQL injection vulnerability in login.php in Zen Cart 1.1.2d, 1.1.4 before patch 1, and possibly other versions allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL via the (1) admin_name or (2) admin_pass parameters.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/29/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-2023 represents a critical SQL injection flaw affecting Zen Cart e-commerce platforms version 1.1.2d and 1.1.4 before patch 1, with potential impact on other versions. This vulnerability resides within the login.php script which handles administrative authentication processes. The flaw manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize user input passed through the admin_name and admin_pass parameters, creating an avenue for malicious actors to inject arbitrary SQL commands into the database query execution flow.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of authentication parameters during administrative login attempts. When an attacker submits specially crafted input containing SQL metacharacters and commands through either the admin_name or admin_pass fields, the vulnerable application incorporates this malicious input directly into database queries without proper input validation or sanitization. This lack of input sanitization directly violates established security principles and creates a pathway for attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms, potentially gaining unauthorized administrative access to the e-commerce platform.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple authentication bypass, as successful exploitation could enable attackers to execute arbitrary database commands with the privileges of the database user account. Attackers could potentially extract sensitive customer data, modify product catalogs, alter pricing information, manipulate order processing, or even delete critical database records. The vulnerability's remote nature means attackers do not require physical access to the system, making it particularly dangerous for online commerce platforms where administrative access is crucial for business operations and customer data protection.
This vulnerability maps directly to CWE-89 which categorizes SQL injection flaws as weaknesses in software that allows attackers to manipulate database queries through untrusted input. The attack vector aligns with ATT&CK technique T1190 which describes the use of SQL injection to gain access to databases and extract sensitive information. Organizations running affected Zen Cart versions face significant risk of data breaches, financial loss, and reputational damage when this vulnerability remains unpatched. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation and parameterized queries in preventing database injection attacks.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate application of vendor patches for affected Zen Cart versions, implementing proper input validation and sanitization mechanisms, and deploying web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious SQL injection attempts. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive security assessments of their e-commerce platforms, implement database query monitoring, and establish robust access control measures to minimize the potential impact of similar vulnerabilities in the future. Regular security updates and vulnerability scanning should become standard operational procedures to prevent exploitation of known vulnerabilities.