CVE-2006-6519 in ProNews
Summary
by MITRE
SQL injection vulnerability in lire-avis.php in ProNews 1.5 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the aa parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/10/2018
The CVE-2006-6519 vulnerability represents a critical SQL injection flaw discovered in ProNews 1.5's lire-avis.php component, demonstrating a fundamental failure in input validation and query construction practices. This vulnerability resides within the web application's parameter handling mechanism where the aa parameter fails to properly sanitize user-supplied data before incorporating it into SQL queries. The flaw enables malicious actors to manipulate database operations by injecting specially crafted SQL commands through the vulnerable parameter, potentially compromising the entire database infrastructure.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows a classic SQL injection attack pattern where an attacker crafts malicious input to bypass authentication mechanisms or extract sensitive data from the underlying database. When the aa parameter is processed in lire-avis.php, the application constructs SQL queries without proper parameterization or input sanitization, allowing attackers to append additional SQL statements that execute with the privileges of the database user. This vulnerability maps directly to CWE-89 which categorizes SQL injection as a severe weakness in application security, specifically addressing the improper neutralization of special elements used in SQL commands.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations using ProNews 1.5, as it enables remote code execution capabilities that could lead to complete system compromise. Attackers could leverage this flaw to extract confidential information including user credentials, personal data, and business-critical records stored in the database. The remote nature of the attack means that exploitation can occur from anywhere on the internet without requiring physical access to the target system. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability aligns with T1190 (Exploit Public-Facing Application) and T1071.004 (Application Layer Protocol: DNS) as attackers may use this entry point to establish persistent access and conduct further reconnaissance.
The impact of this vulnerability extends beyond immediate data theft to include potential service disruption, regulatory compliance violations, and reputational damage for affected organizations. Organizations running ProNews 1.5 must implement immediate mitigations including input validation, parameterized queries, and proper output encoding to prevent malicious SQL command injection. The recommended remediation strategy involves upgrading to a patched version of ProNews or implementing proper input sanitization techniques that ensure all user-supplied data is properly escaped or parameterized before database interaction. Additionally, network segmentation and web application firewalls should be deployed to limit exposure and detect potential exploitation attempts. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other applications and establish robust security monitoring procedures to detect anomalous database access patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts.