CVE-2005-1822 in X-Cart
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple SQL injection vulnerabilities in Qualiteam X-Cart 4.0.8 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the (1) cat or (2) printable parameter to home.php, (3) productid or (4) mode parameter to product.php, (5) id parameter to error_message.php, (6) section parameter to help.php, (7) mode parameter to orders.php, (8) mode parameter to register.php, (9) mode parameter to search.php, or the (10) gcid or (11) gcindex parameter to giftcert.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/07/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-1822 represents a critical SQL injection flaw affecting Qualiteam X-Cart version 4.0.8, a widely deployed e-commerce platform that was prevalent during the mid-2000s era. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization within multiple script files that handle user-supplied parameters, creating pathways for malicious actors to manipulate database queries through crafted HTTP requests. The flaw specifically manifests when the application fails to properly escape or validate user input before incorporating it into SQL command structures, allowing attackers to inject malicious SQL code that executes with the privileges of the database user account.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs across multiple entry points within the X-Cart application, each presenting distinct attack vectors that collectively amplify the overall risk. The primary attack surfaces include home.php with cat and printable parameters, product.php with productid and mode parameters, error_message.php with id parameter, help.php with section parameter, orders.php with mode parameter, register.php with mode parameter, search.php with mode parameter, and giftcert.php with gcid and gcindex parameters. These parameters are processed without adequate sanitization, enabling attackers to construct malicious SQL payloads that can manipulate database contents, extract sensitive information, or even gain unauthorized access to the underlying database system. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-89, which classifies SQL injection as a weakness where untrusted data is incorporated into SQL commands without proper validation or escaping mechanisms.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents severe consequences for e-commerce platforms utilizing affected X-Cart versions, as it enables remote code execution capabilities that can compromise entire database infrastructures. Attackers can leverage these injection points to extract customer data including personal information, credit card details, and login credentials, potentially leading to significant financial losses and regulatory compliance violations. The impact extends beyond simple data theft, as malicious actors can modify product catalogs, alter pricing structures, manipulate order processing, and even delete critical database records. Organizations running these vulnerable systems face potential liability from data breach notifications, regulatory penalties under privacy laws, and reputational damage from customer trust erosion. The attack surface spans across multiple functional areas of the e-commerce platform, making comprehensive mitigation challenging and requiring systematic patching across all affected components.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both immediate remediation and long-term security hardening measures. The primary recommendation involves applying the vendor-provided security patches that implement proper input validation and parameter sanitization across all affected script files. Organizations should implement proper parameterized queries or prepared statements throughout the application codebase to prevent SQL injection attacks, as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten security guidelines. Input validation should be enforced at multiple layers including application-level filtering, database-level permissions restrictions, and web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious SQL injection patterns. Network segmentation and database access controls should be implemented to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation, ensuring that database accounts used by the application have minimal required privileges. Security monitoring should include logging of SQL queries and implementation of intrusion detection systems capable of identifying patterns associated with SQL injection attacks, aligning with ATT&CK framework techniques for command and control operations and credential access. Regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in legacy applications, as this vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation in web applications.