CVE-2005-3365 in DCP-Portal
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple SQL injection vulnerabilities in DCP-Portal 6 and earlier allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands, possibly requiring encoded characters, via (1) the name parameter in register.php, (2) the email parameter in lostpassword.php, (3) the year parameter in calendar.php, and the (4) cid parameter to index.php. NOTE: the mid parameter for forums.php is already associated with CVE-2005-0454. NOTE: the index.php/cid vector was later reported to affect 6.11.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/13/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-3365 represents a critical SQL injection flaw affecting DCP-Portal version 6 and earlier systems. This vulnerability exposes multiple entry points where malicious actors can inject arbitrary SQL commands into the database layer through improperly validated user input parameters. The attack surface encompasses several key components of the portal's functionality including user registration, password recovery, calendar display, and forum navigation mechanisms.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input sanitization and validation within the affected PHP scripts. Specifically the name parameter in register.php, email parameter in lostpassword.php, year parameter in calendar.php, and cid parameter in index.php all fail to properly escape or validate user-supplied data before incorporating it into SQL query constructions. This allows attackers to craft malicious input sequences that manipulate the intended database operations and potentially execute unauthorized commands with the privileges of the database user. The requirement for encoded characters suggests that the vulnerability may involve certain encoding bypass techniques or that specific character sets are not properly handled during input processing.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates a severe risk of data compromise and system exploitation. Attackers can leverage these injection points to extract sensitive information from the database including user credentials, personal data, and potentially system configuration details. The impact extends beyond simple data theft as successful exploitation could enable attackers to modify or delete database records, insert backdoors, or escalate privileges within the application environment. The fact that multiple parameters across different scripts are affected increases the attack surface and provides multiple potential vectors for exploitation.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-89 which specifically addresses SQL injection flaws in software applications. This categorization emphasizes the fundamental weakness in input handling and query construction processes that allows malicious SQL code to be executed within the database context. The attack pattern follows typical SQL injection methodologies where user-controllable input is directly concatenated into SQL statements without proper sanitization or parameterization. The inclusion of the index.php/cid vector in version 6.11 indicates that the vulnerability was not fully addressed in the initial patches and required additional updates to resolve the complete attack surface.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing proper input validation and parameterized queries throughout the affected application components. All user-supplied inputs must be sanitized and validated against expected formats before being processed or incorporated into database operations. The recommended approach involves using prepared statements or parameterized queries that separate SQL command structure from data values, preventing malicious input from altering the intended query execution. Additionally, implementing proper access controls and least privilege principles for database connections can limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts. Regular security audits and input validation testing should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in other application components. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of maintaining current security patches and following secure coding practices throughout the software development lifecycle to prevent such fundamental flaws from being introduced in the first place.