CVE-2007-3557 in Wheatblog
Summary
by MITRE
SQL injection vulnerability in admin/login.php in Wheatblog (wB) 1.1, when magic_quotes_gpc is disabled, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the login parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/12/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-3557 represents a critical SQL injection flaw within the Wheatblog (wB) 1.1 content management system. This vulnerability specifically affects the admin/login.php component and exploits a fundamental weakness in input validation mechanisms. The flaw becomes particularly dangerous when the PHP configuration parameter magic_quotes_gpc is disabled, which removes the automatic escaping of special characters in GET, POST, and COOKIE data. This configuration setting, while deprecated in modern PHP versions, was commonly encountered in legacy systems during the mid-2000s era when this vulnerability was discovered.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper sanitization of user input within the login parameter processing. When an attacker submits malicious input through the login form, the application fails to properly escape or validate the data before incorporating it into SQL query construction. This allows an attacker to inject malicious SQL code that gets executed by the database server. The vulnerability maps directly to CWE-89, which classifies SQL injection as a weakness that occurs when user-supplied data is improperly incorporated into SQL commands without adequate sanitization or parameterization. The attack vector is particularly severe because it targets the administrative login interface, providing potential attackers with direct access to the system's administrative functions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or modification. Successful exploitation can lead to complete system compromise, as attackers can execute arbitrary database commands and potentially escalate privileges within the application. This vulnerability enables attackers to perform actions such as extracting sensitive user credentials, modifying database content, creating new administrative accounts, or even gaining shell access to the underlying server. The threat landscape for this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1190, which covers exploiting vulnerabilities in web applications, and T1078, which involves legitimate credentials access through compromised administrative accounts.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2007-3557 must address both immediate remediation and long-term security hardening. The most effective immediate solution involves implementing proper input validation and parameterized queries to prevent SQL injection attacks. Organizations should ensure that all user-supplied input is properly escaped or sanitized before being processed by database queries. The implementation of prepared statements or parameterized queries represents the gold standard for preventing SQL injection vulnerabilities and should be adopted across all database interactions. Additionally, system administrators should enforce proper PHP configuration settings, including enabling magic_quotes_gpc or implementing equivalent security measures. Security monitoring and intrusion detection systems should be configured to detect unusual database access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of keeping web applications updated and patched, as this issue was resolved in subsequent versions of Wheatblog through proper input validation mechanisms. Organizations should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit the potential damage from successful exploitation, as the administrative interface should only be accessible from trusted networks.