CVE-2008-2501 in PHPhotoalbum
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple SQL injection vulnerabilities in PHPhotoalbum 0.5 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the (1) album parameter to thumbnails.php and the (2) pid parameter to displayimage.php.
VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/26/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2008-2501 represents a critical security flaw in PHPhotoalbum version 0.5 that exposes the application to remote SQL injection attacks. This vulnerability affects two distinct entry points within the photo album management system, creating multiple attack vectors for malicious actors seeking to compromise the underlying database infrastructure. The flaw stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization practices within the application's PHP code, specifically in the handling of user-supplied parameters that are directly incorporated into SQL query constructions without proper escaping or parameterization techniques.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of two specific parameters: album in the thumbnails.php script and pid in the displayimage.php script. When attackers submit malicious input through these parameters, the application fails to properly sanitize the data before incorporating it into database queries. This allows attackers to inject arbitrary SQL commands that execute with the privileges of the database user account under which the PHPhotoalbum application operates. The vulnerability manifests as a classic SQL injection attack pattern where user-controllable input directly influences the structure of SQL statements, enabling data extraction, modification, or deletion operations.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to organizations utilizing PHPhotoalbum 0.5 for image management and sharing. Attackers can leverage these injection points to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data stored in the application's database, potentially including user credentials, personal information, and other confidential content. The remote nature of the attack means that exploitation can occur from any location without requiring physical access to the system, making the vulnerability particularly dangerous. Additionally, successful exploitation could enable attackers to escalate privileges, modify application functionality, or even gain shell access to the underlying server depending on the database configuration and permissions.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-89, which specifically addresses SQL injection flaws in software applications, and represents a fundamental breakdown in input validation and output encoding practices. This weakness can be mapped to multiple ATT&CK techniques including T1190 for exploit public-facing application and T1071 for application layer protocol usage, as attackers would need to identify and exploit the vulnerable web application endpoints. Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement patch management procedures to upgrade to a secure version of PHPhotoalbum, while also reviewing their database access controls and implementing proper input validation measures. Network segmentation and web application firewalls can provide additional defensive layers, though the most effective mitigation remains the immediate remediation of the underlying code vulnerabilities through proper parameterized queries and input sanitization techniques.