CVE-2007-1121 in Address Book Continued
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple SQL injection vulnerabilities in Mathis Dirksen-Thedens ZephyrSoft Toolbox Address Book Continued (ABC) 1.00 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the id parameter to the (1) updateRow and (2) deleteRow functions in functions.php. NOTE: some of these details are obtained from third party information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/13/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-1121 represents a critical SQL injection flaw within the ZephyrSoft Toolbox Address Book Continued (ABC) version 1.00, developed by Mathis Dirksen-Thedens. This vulnerability exists in the application's handling of user input within specific database operations, creating a significant security risk for systems utilizing this software. The flaw manifests in two distinct functions within the functions.php file, specifically the updateRow and deleteRow operations, which are commonly used for managing address book entries in database-driven applications. These functions fail to properly sanitize or validate input parameters before incorporating them into SQL query constructions, leaving the system susceptible to malicious SQL command injection attacks.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through manipulation of the id parameter that is passed to the vulnerable functions. When an attacker crafts malicious input for this parameter, the application directly incorporates this unvalidated data into SQL queries without proper sanitization mechanisms. This allows adversaries to inject arbitrary SQL commands that execute with the privileges of the database user account under which the application operates. The vulnerability falls under CWE-89, which specifically addresses SQL injection flaws in software systems, and represents a classic example of improper input validation that enables unauthorized database access and manipulation. The attack vector is particularly concerning as it requires no authentication for exploitation, making it accessible to remote attackers who can leverage the vulnerability from outside the network perimeter.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as successful exploitation could result in complete database compromise including data modification, deletion, or unauthorized access to sensitive information stored within the address book application. Attackers could potentially escalate privileges to gain administrative access to the database, extract confidential personal information of address book contacts, or even establish persistent backdoors within the system. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers do not need physical access to the system, making it particularly dangerous for web-hosted applications. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1071.004 for Application Layer Protocol and T1046 for Network Service Discovery, as it enables attackers to probe and exploit database services. The risk is compounded by the fact that this vulnerability affects the core database operations of an address book application, which often contains sensitive personal information that could be leveraged for identity theft or social engineering attacks.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate input validation and parameterized query implementation. The most effective remediation involves implementing proper input sanitization techniques that validate all user-supplied data before incorporating it into database queries. This includes using parameterized queries or prepared statements that separate SQL command structure from data values, preventing malicious input from altering the intended query execution. Additionally, implementing proper access controls and least privilege principles for database accounts can limit the potential damage from successful exploitation attempts. Security patches should be applied immediately, and administrators should conduct thorough code reviews to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls can provide additional defense-in-depth measures, though they should not be relied upon as the sole mitigation strategy. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to ensure that similar injection vulnerabilities do not exist in other parts of the application infrastructure.