CVE-2008-2460 in vBulletin
Summary
by MITRE
SQL injection vulnerability in faq.php in vBulletin 3.7.0 Gold allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the q parameter in a search action.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/25/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-2460 represents a critical SQL injection flaw within the vBulletin 3.7.0 Gold forum software, specifically affecting the faq.php script. This vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation and sanitization of user-supplied data, creating an avenue for malicious actors to manipulate database queries through the q parameter during search operations. The flaw exists in the application's handling of search queries where user input is directly concatenated into SQL statements without proper escaping or parameterization, making it susceptible to exploitation by remote attackers who can craft malicious payloads to execute unauthorized database commands.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker submits specially crafted input through the q parameter in the search functionality of the faq.php page. The application fails to properly sanitize or escape the user-supplied search term before incorporating it into database queries, allowing attackers to inject malicious SQL syntax that can alter the intended query behavior. This injection can potentially lead to unauthorized data access, data modification, or even complete database compromise depending on the attacker's privileges and the database configuration. The vulnerability maps directly to CWE-89 which categorizes SQL injection flaws as weaknesses in input validation that enable attackers to manipulate database queries through untrusted input.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to organizations running vBulletin 3.7.0 Gold systems, as it enables remote code execution capabilities and data breach potential. Attackers can leverage this flaw to extract sensitive information including user credentials, forum content, and potentially access other systems if database users have elevated privileges. The impact extends beyond simple data theft as the vulnerability can facilitate further attacks within the network infrastructure, especially if the database server has access to other internal systems. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1071.004 which covers application layer protocol manipulation, and T1046 which addresses network service scanning that can be used to identify vulnerable systems.
The remediation strategy for this vulnerability requires immediate implementation of input validation and sanitization measures within the vBulletin application code. Organizations should apply the official security patch released by vBulletin for version 3.7.0 Gold or upgrade to a supported version that addresses this vulnerability. Additionally, implementing proper parameterized queries or prepared statements in the faq.php script would prevent the injection of malicious SQL code. Network-level mitigations such as web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems can provide additional protection layers while the permanent fix is being implemented. Regular security assessments and input validation testing should be conducted to ensure similar vulnerabilities are not present in other application components, following the principles outlined in OWASP Top 10 and NIST cybersecurity frameworks for preventing injection attacks.