CVE-2008-4078 in LedgerSMB
Summary
by MITRE
SQL injection vulnerability in the AR/AP transaction report in (1) LedgerSMB (LSMB) before 1.2.15 and (2) SQL-Ledger 2.8.17 and earlier allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary SQL commands via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/08/2018
The CVE-2008-4078 vulnerability represents a critical sql injection flaw within the accounting modules of two prominent open source financial management systems. This vulnerability affects LedgerSMB versions prior to 1.2.15 and SQL-Ledger versions 2.8.17 and earlier, specifically targeting the accounts receivable and accounts payable transaction reporting functionality. The flaw exists in the handling of user input within the report generation process, creating a pathway for malicious actors to manipulate underlying database queries through crafted input parameters.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization within the report generation components of these financial applications. When authenticated users access the AR/AP transaction report functionality, the system fails to properly escape or parameterize user-supplied data before incorporating it into sql queries. This allows attackers to inject malicious sql code that gets executed within the database context, potentially enabling full database compromise. The vulnerability is classified as a sql injection attack under the common weakness enumeration framework as CWE-89, which specifically addresses improper neutralization of special elements used in sql commands.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as authenticated attackers can leverage this weakness to execute arbitrary sql commands with the privileges of the database user account. This could result in unauthorized data modification, deletion of critical financial records, extraction of sensitive customer information, or even complete database compromise. Financial institutions using these systems face significant risk of regulatory violations, data breaches, and financial loss. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it requires only authenticated access, meaning that compromised user accounts or insider threats could exploit this weakness without requiring additional credentials or privileged access.
Security professionals should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems, as the vulnerability affects widely deployed financial management applications. Organizations should implement input validation measures including parameterized queries, proper escaping of special characters, and regular security code reviews. The attack surface can be reduced by implementing network segmentation and limiting database user privileges to the minimum required for application functionality. Additionally, monitoring for unusual database activity and implementing web application firewalls can provide additional layers of protection against exploitation attempts. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of secure coding practices in financial applications where data integrity and confidentiality are paramount. The incident highlights the need for comprehensive security testing and vulnerability management programs to protect against persistent threats targeting business-critical applications.