CVE-2005-3980 in Trac
Summary
by MITRE
SQL injection vulnerability in the ticket query module in Edgewall Trac 0.9 and possibly earlier allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the group parameter.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/22/2025
The CVE-2005-3980 vulnerability represents a critical SQL injection flaw discovered in the Edgewall Trac ticket query module version 0.9 and potentially earlier releases. This vulnerability resides within the web application's handling of user input parameters, specifically the group parameter that is used to filter and organize ticket queries. The flaw enables malicious actors to manipulate the underlying database queries by injecting arbitrary SQL commands through the vulnerable input field, thereby bypassing normal authentication and authorization mechanisms that protect the database backend.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization within the Trac application's query processing logic. When users submit queries through the ticket management interface, the group parameter is directly incorporated into SQL statements without proper escaping or parameterization. This design flaw allows attackers to inject malicious SQL syntax that can alter the intended query execution flow, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, modification, or deletion. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and does not require special privileges to exploit, making it particularly dangerous for web applications that handle sensitive project management data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as it provides attackers with the capability to execute arbitrary database commands with the privileges of the database user account that the Trac application employs. This can result in complete database compromise, allowing unauthorized users to extract confidential project information, modify ticket statuses, delete critical records, or even escalate privileges to gain administrative control over the entire Trac installation. The vulnerability affects organizations using Trac for project management, issue tracking, and collaboration, where ticket data often contains sensitive information about development processes, security vulnerabilities, and business-critical projects.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement multiple layers of mitigation strategies to protect their systems. The primary remediation involves upgrading to a patched version of Trac that properly sanitizes user input parameters before incorporating them into SQL queries. Additionally, implementing proper input validation and parameterized queries can serve as effective defensive measures. Security practitioners should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious SQL injection patterns, while conducting regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other applications. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-89, which specifically addresses SQL injection flaws, and represents a common attack vector that maps to several ATT&CK techniques including command and control through database manipulation and credential access through privilege escalation. Organizations should also review their database access controls and implement the principle of least privilege to minimize potential damage from successful exploitation attempts.