CVE-2006-0205 in Wordcircle
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple SQL injection vulnerabilities in Wordcircle 2.17 allow remote attackers to (1) execute arbitrary SQL commands and bypass authentication via the password field in the login action to index.php (involving v_login.php and s_user.php) and (2) have other unknown impact via certain other fields in unspecified scripts.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/17/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-0205 represents a critical SQL injection flaw affecting Wordcircle 2.17, a web-based content management system that was prevalent during the mid-2000s era. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the application's authentication and data processing routines, creating exploitable entry points that allow malicious actors to manipulate database queries through crafted user input. The vulnerability specifically targets the login functionality where the password field in the index.php script, which invokes v_login.php and s_user.php components, fails to properly sanitize user-supplied data before incorporating it into SQL command structures.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of the password field during the login process, enabling attackers to inject malicious SQL code that can execute arbitrary database commands on the underlying database server. This type of injection attack directly violates the principle of least privilege and undermines the fundamental security controls designed to protect user authentication systems. The vulnerability manifests as a classic sql injection attack vector where user input flows directly into database queries without proper sanitization or parameterization, making it susceptible to exploitation by remote attackers who can craft malicious payloads to extract sensitive information, modify database records, or even escalate privileges within the system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple authentication bypass, as the secondary exploitation vectors mentioned in the description suggest that similar injection points may exist throughout the application's codebase in unspecified scripts. This broader scope of potential attack surfaces indicates a systemic weakness in the application's data handling practices, where input validation and sanitization mechanisms are inconsistently applied across different components. The implications include potential data breaches, unauthorized access to user accounts, modification or deletion of critical database content, and possible complete system compromise depending on the database server's configuration and the privileges of the database user account used by the application.
From a cybersecurity framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-89, which specifically addresses SQL injection vulnerabilities, and represents a clear violation of the principle of input validation as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten. The attack vector maps to the ATT&CK technique T1190, which covers exploitation of vulnerabilities for initial access and privilege escalation within target environments. Organizations should implement comprehensive mitigations including parameterized queries, input validation, and output encoding to prevent such vulnerabilities from being exploited. Additionally, regular security assessments, code reviews, and application security testing should be conducted to identify and remediate similar injection vulnerabilities across the entire application stack. The remediation process should involve thorough input sanitization, implementation of proper database access controls, and establishment of secure coding practices to prevent future occurrences of this class of vulnerability.
The broader implications of this vulnerability highlight the importance of maintaining up-to-date security practices and the dangers of legacy systems that may contain unpatched security flaws. Given that Wordcircle 2.17 was released in an era when security awareness was less prevalent in web application development, this vulnerability serves as a historical example of how inadequate security controls can create persistent threats that remain exploitable for years after initial deployment. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical need for continuous security monitoring and patch management processes that can identify and remediate such weaknesses before they can be leveraged by malicious actors in real-world scenarios.