CVE-2005-1997 in McGallery
Summary
by MITRE
show.php in McGallery 1.1 allows remote attackers to connect to arbitrary databases, or gain sensitive information by triggering an error, via a modified host parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/09/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-1997 affects McGallery 1.1, a web-based photo gallery application that was widely used in the mid-2000s for displaying digital images on websites. This security flaw resides within the show.php script which serves as the primary interface for displaying gallery content. The vulnerability represents a critical weakness in the application's database connection handling mechanism, specifically concerning how it processes the host parameter. The issue stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization practices that allow malicious actors to manipulate the database connection parameters through the web interface.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker modifies the host parameter in the web request to the show.php script. This manipulation can result in two primary attack vectors: unauthorized database connections and sensitive information disclosure. When the application processes a modified host parameter, it fails to properly validate or sanitize the input before using it to establish database connections. This lack of proper input sanitization creates an environment where attackers can inject arbitrary database host values, potentially allowing them to connect to databases they should not have access to. The vulnerability also enables information disclosure through error message generation, where the application reveals database connection details, schema information, or other sensitive data when processing malformed input.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access to database systems. Attackers can leverage this flaw to gain comprehensive knowledge about the underlying database infrastructure, including database names, table structures, and potentially user credentials stored in the database. The vulnerability creates a pathway for data exfiltration, database manipulation, and potentially full system compromise if the database contains additional sensitive information or if the database user has elevated privileges. This issue particularly affects web applications that rely on dynamic database connections and demonstrates a fundamental flaw in input validation practices that were common in web applications of that era.
Security professionals should note this vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which describes improper input validation, and represents a classic example of insecure database connection handling that falls under the ATT&CK technique T1071.1003 for application layer protocol. The vulnerability also relates to T1046 for network service scanning and T1083 for file and directory discovery. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including input parameter validation, proper database connection handling with whitelisted parameters, and comprehensive error message handling to prevent information disclosure. The fix requires modifying the show.php script to validate all database connection parameters against a predefined whitelist and implementing proper error handling that does not expose sensitive system information. Additionally, the vulnerability highlights the importance of following secure coding practices and input sanitization techniques that were becoming increasingly important as web applications grew more complex and interconnected.