CVE-2006-1289 in Milkeyway Captive Portal
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple SQL injection vulnerabilities in Milkeyway Captive Portal 0.1 and 0.1.1 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the (1) username, (2) password, (3) team, (4) level, (5) status, (6) teamname, and (7) teamlead parameters in (a) auth.php; the (8) username, (9) action, and (10) filter parameters in (b) authuser.php; the (11) username parameter in (c) utils.php; the (12) id and (13) date parameters in (d) traffic.php; the (14) username parameter in (e) userstatistics.php; and the (15) USERNAME and (16) PASSWORD parameters in a cookie to (f) chgpwd.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/05/2017
The vulnerability described in CVE-2006-1289 represents a critical SQL injection flaw affecting Milkeyway Captive Portal versions 0.1 and 0.1.1, exposing multiple attack vectors that collectively enable remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands against the underlying database. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-89 category of SQL Injection, which is classified as a critical weakness in software security that allows attackers to manipulate database queries through untrusted input. The affected application is a captive portal system designed to manage network access authentication and user management, making it a prime target for attackers seeking unauthorized access to network resources. The vulnerability manifests across multiple PHP scripts including auth.php, authuser.php, utils.php, traffic.php, userstatistics.php, and chgpwd.php, demonstrating the widespread nature of the input sanitization failure.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs through improper input validation and sanitization of user-supplied parameters across various HTTP request methods. Attackers can manipulate the username, password, team, level, status, teamname, and teamlead parameters in auth.php to inject malicious SQL payloads that bypass authentication mechanisms and potentially gain administrative privileges. The vulnerability extends to additional parameters in authuser.php where username, action, and filter fields can be exploited, while utils.php, traffic.php, and userstatistics.php contain similar weaknesses in their parameter handling. The most concerning aspect is the exploitation through cookie values in chgpwd.php where USERNAME and PASSWORD parameters can be manipulated, allowing attackers to execute commands without requiring direct access to the application interface. This multi-layered attack surface significantly increases the potential impact of the vulnerability.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it allows remote attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms entirely, potentially gaining full administrative control over the captive portal system. An attacker could manipulate database contents to create unauthorized user accounts, modify existing user privileges, access sensitive network information, or even delete critical system data. The vulnerability enables privilege escalation attacks that could lead to complete system compromise, as the SQL injection allows for arbitrary command execution against the database backend. Network administrators would face significant challenges in detecting unauthorized access attempts since the malicious activity would appear as legitimate database operations. The captive portal nature of the system means that successful exploitation could provide attackers with access to network resources and potentially serve as a stepping stone for further attacks within the network infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and parameterized queries throughout the application codebase. The primary defense mechanism involves adopting prepared statements and parameterized queries to prevent user input from being interpreted as SQL commands, which directly addresses the CWE-89 weakness. All input parameters across the affected scripts must be rigorously sanitized and validated before processing, with strict type checking and length limitations applied to prevent injection attempts. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls should be deployed to monitor and block suspicious SQL injection patterns. Regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other parts of the application. Additionally, implementing proper access controls and least privilege principles can limit the damage from successful exploitation attempts. The recommended approach aligns with ATT&CK framework techniques related to credential access and privilege escalation, emphasizing the importance of input validation as a fundamental security control. System administrators should also consider implementing database activity monitoring and alerting mechanisms to detect anomalous database access patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts.