CVE-2006-0638 in MyBB
Summary
by MITRE
SQL injection vulnerability in moderation.php in MyBB (aka MyBulletinBoard) 1.0.3 allows remote authenticated users, with certain privileges for moderating and merging posts, to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the posts parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/30/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-0638 represents a critical SQL injection flaw within the MyBB bulletin board system version 1.0.3. This security weakness specifically affects the moderation.php script which handles administrative functions related to post management. The vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation and improper parameter handling within the application's database interaction mechanisms. Attackers exploiting this flaw can manipulate the posts parameter to inject malicious SQL commands that bypass normal authentication and authorization checks.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires an attacker to possess legitimate user credentials with specific moderation privileges including the ability to merge posts and moderate content. This authentication requirement places the vulnerability in the context of privilege escalation and lateral movement within the application's security model. The flaw manifests when user-supplied input from the posts parameter is directly concatenated into SQL query strings without proper sanitization or parameterization. This design flaw aligns with CWE-89, which specifically addresses SQL injection vulnerabilities where untrusted data is incorporated into database queries without adequate protection mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or corruption. An authenticated attacker with moderate privileges can execute arbitrary SQL commands that may result in complete database compromise, user credential exposure, or unauthorized modification of forum content. The attacker could potentially escalate privileges within the database, extract sensitive information including user passwords stored in hashed formats, or even modify the application's core functionality through direct database manipulation. This type of vulnerability represents a significant risk to forum administrators and their users who rely on the integrity and confidentiality of their communication platforms.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2006-0638 should focus on immediate patching of the MyBB application to version 1.0.4 or later, which contains the necessary input validation fixes. Organizations should implement proper input sanitization techniques including parameterized queries and prepared statements to prevent similar vulnerabilities in other applications. The principle of least privilege should be enforced by limiting moderation privileges to only those users who absolutely require them for their administrative duties. Network monitoring and intrusion detection systems should be configured to identify unusual database query patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify and remediate similar input validation weaknesses in other components of the application stack, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1071.004 for application layer protocol manipulation and T1566 for credential harvesting through compromised applications.