CVE-2005-4711 in Land Down Under
Summary
by MITRE
SQL injection vulnerability in Neocrome Land Down Under (LDU) 801 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via an HTTP Referer header. NOTE: the provenance of this information is unknown; the details are obtained solely from third party information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/09/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-4711 represents a critical SQL injection flaw within the Neocrome Land Down Under (LDU) 801 web application system. This vulnerability exists in the application's handling of HTTP Referer headers, which are typically used by web browsers to indicate the address of the previous web page from which a link to the currently requested page was followed. The flaw allows malicious actors to inject arbitrary SQL commands into the application's database queries through manipulation of this HTTP header field, creating a significant security risk that can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication or prior access to the system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization within the LDU 801 application's processing of HTTP Referer headers. When the application receives a request containing a Referer header, it fails to properly escape or filter special characters that could be interpreted as SQL syntax by the underlying database engine. This lack of proper sanitization creates an attack surface where an attacker can craft malicious Referer values containing SQL commands that get executed directly against the database. The vulnerability is classified as a classic SQL injection flaw under CWE-89, which specifically addresses improper neutralization of special elements used in SQL commands, and falls under the broader category of CWE-20, which encompasses weaknesses resulting from insufficient input validation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, as it provides remote attackers with the ability to execute arbitrary database commands without authentication. Attackers can potentially extract sensitive data from the database, modify or delete records, create new user accounts with elevated privileges, or even gain access to the underlying operating system if proper database security measures are not in place. This vulnerability can be exploited through simple web browser manipulation or automated tools, making it particularly dangerous as it requires minimal technical expertise to leverage. The attack can be conducted from any location with internet access, and the lack of authentication requirements means that even unauthenticated users can exploit this flaw, significantly expanding the potential attack surface and threat vector.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1071.004, which covers application layer protocol manipulation, and represents a clear pathway for adversaries to achieve persistent access and data exfiltration. The vulnerability's exploitation can be automated and scaled, making it attractive to both individual attackers and organized threat groups. Organizations using LDU 801 systems are particularly vulnerable as the flaw exists at the application layer and affects database integrity and confidentiality. Mitigation strategies should include immediate implementation of input validation and sanitization measures, proper parameterized queries to prevent SQL injection, and network-level protections such as web application firewalls that can detect and block malicious Referer header patterns. Additionally, regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components, as this flaw demonstrates a fundamental lack of secure coding practices that may extend beyond the specific Referer header implementation.