CVE-2006-4778 in ccHost
Summary
by MITRE
SQL injection vulnerability in Creative Commons Tools ccHost before 3.0 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via a crafted URL, which is used to populate the file ID. NOTE: Some details are obtained from third party information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/04/2018
The CVE-2006-4778 vulnerability represents a critical sql injection flaw in the creative commons tools cchost software prior to version 3.0. This vulnerability arises from inadequate input validation and sanitization mechanisms within the application's url processing logic. The flaw specifically manifests when the application processes file id parameters through crafted urls, allowing malicious actors to inject arbitrary sql commands into the underlying database query execution chain. The vulnerability's exploitation potential stems from the software's failure to properly escape or validate user-supplied input before incorporating it into sql statements, creating an avenue for unauthorized database access and manipulation.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability aligns with common sql injection attack patterns as defined by the common weakness enumeration framework under cwe-89. The flaw operates by intercepting user-controllable parameters within the url structure and directly concatenating them into sql query strings without proper sanitization. This allows attackers to manipulate the intended query execution flow and inject malicious sql code that can execute with the privileges of the database user account associated with the cchost application. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers can leverage this flaw from external networks without requiring local system access, making it particularly dangerous for web-facing applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft to encompass complete database compromise and potential system infiltration. Attackers could execute commands to extract sensitive information, modify or delete database records, create new user accounts with elevated privileges, or even escalate their access to underlying system resources. The vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of all data stored within the cchost database, including user information, creative works metadata, and potentially system configuration details. Given that cchost is designed for creative commons content management, the compromise could lead to unauthorized modification of creative works or complete service disruption.
Security practitioners should implement immediate mitigations including input validation, parameterized queries, and proper sql escaping mechanisms to address this vulnerability. The recommended approach involves upgrading to cchost version 3.0 or later, which includes proper input sanitization and sql injection protection measures. Organizations should also implement web application firewalls to detect and block malicious sql injection attempts, conduct thorough code reviews to identify similar vulnerabilities in other applications, and establish proper database access controls to limit the damage potential of any successful exploitation attempts. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation in web applications and aligns with attack techniques documented in the mitre attack framework under the execution and privilege escalation categories, emphasizing the need for robust application security controls throughout the software development lifecycle.