CVE-2007-3434 in Pharmacy System
Summary
by MITRE
index.php in Pharmacy System 2 and earlier allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information via a (quote) character in the page parameter, which reveals the table prefix in an error message.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/22/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2007-3434 affects the Pharmacy System version 2 and earlier, specifically targeting the index.php script. This issue represents a classic information disclosure vulnerability that occurs when the application fails to properly sanitize user input before processing it within the system. The flaw manifests when a remote attacker submits a quote character as part of the page parameter, causing the application to generate an error message that inadvertently exposes sensitive database configuration information.
The technical mechanism behind this vulnerability involves improper input validation and error handling within the web application's parameter processing logic. When the system encounters the quote character in the page parameter, it fails to properly escape or filter the input before using it in database operations. This leads to a database error that is then displayed to the attacker through the web interface, revealing the table prefix used in the database schema. The table prefix serves as crucial information for an attacker as it provides insight into the database structure, which can be leveraged for subsequent attacks including SQL injection attempts.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability significantly weakens the security posture of the affected system by providing attackers with database schema information that would otherwise remain hidden. The exposure of table prefixes can facilitate more sophisticated attacks such as blind SQL injection or direct database enumeration, as attackers can now construct more targeted queries against known table structures. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-209, which describes the issue of error messages containing sensitive information, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege in information disclosure. The vulnerability also maps to ATT&CK technique T1212, which involves exploitation of information disclosure vulnerabilities to gain insights into system architecture and data structures.
The remediation approach for this vulnerability requires implementing proper input sanitization and error handling mechanisms within the application. All user-supplied input must be properly validated and escaped before being used in database queries or error messages. The application should employ prepared statements or parameterized queries to prevent injection attacks while also ensuring that error messages do not reveal internal system information. Additionally, the system should implement comprehensive logging of input validation failures and consider implementing generic error messages that do not expose database-specific information to unauthorized users. Organizations should also conduct regular security testing to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of their web applications, as this type of information disclosure flaw is commonly found in legacy systems where security considerations were not adequately addressed during development phases.