CVE-2006-0940 in ShoutLIVE
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple direct static code injection vulnerabilities in savesettings.php in ShoutLIVE 1.1.0 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary PHP code via variables that are written to settings.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/20/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-0940 represents a critical security flaw in the ShoutLIVE 1.1.0 web application that enables remote code execution through improper input validation and sanitization. This issue resides within the savesettings.php component which handles configuration updates, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to compromise the affected system. The vulnerability stems from the application's failure to properly validate or sanitize user-supplied input before incorporating it into the settings.php configuration file, creating a direct path for code injection attacks.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the application's handling of user-controllable variables that are directly written to the settings.php file without adequate security measures. When administrators or users modify application settings through the web interface, the input values are processed and stored in the configuration file without proper sanitization or validation checks. This creates a scenario where malicious actors can inject PHP code fragments that will be executed when the configuration file is subsequently processed by the web server. The flaw constitutes a classic case of insecure data handling that allows attackers to bypass normal application security boundaries and execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the web server process.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe risk to organizations deploying ShoutLIVE 1.1.0 applications as it provides attackers with complete system compromise capabilities. The remote code execution vulnerability allows adversaries to perform a wide range of malicious activities including data exfiltration, system reconnaissance, privilege escalation, and persistence establishment. Attackers can leverage this weakness to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information, modify application behavior, and potentially use the compromised system as a launchpad for further attacks within the network infrastructure. The impact extends beyond immediate system compromise to include potential data loss, service disruption, and regulatory compliance violations.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-94, which describes the weakness of "Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')" and follows patterns consistent with the ATT&CK framework's execution techniques. Specifically, this flaw maps to T1059.007 for PHP script injection and T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter execution. The attack surface is particularly concerning as it requires no special privileges beyond basic web application interaction, making it accessible to threat actors with minimal technical expertise. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including input validation, output encoding, and privilege separation measures to prevent exploitation of this vulnerability.
Mitigation strategies should focus on comprehensive input validation and sanitization of all user-supplied data before it is processed or stored in configuration files. The application should implement strict whitelisting of acceptable input values and reject any malformed or suspicious data patterns. Additionally, proper file permissions should be enforced to limit write access to configuration files, and the application should be updated to a patched version that addresses this vulnerability. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual configuration changes or suspicious file modification patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other web applications within the organization's infrastructure.