CVE-2008-4305 in phpCollab
Summary
by MITRE
Static code injection vulnerability in installation/setup.php in phpCollab 2.5 rc3 and earlier allows remote authenticated administrators to inject arbitrary PHP code into include/settings.php via the URI.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/23/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-4305 represents a critical static code injection flaw within the phpCollab 2.5 release candidate 3 and earlier versions. This issue specifically targets the installation and setup component of the phpCollab web application, which is a collaborative project management tool designed for web-based team coordination. The vulnerability exists in the installation/setup.php file and creates a pathway for authenticated administrators to execute arbitrary PHP code within the application's environment.
The technical flaw manifests through improper input validation and sanitization within the setup process. When an authenticated administrator accesses the installation script, the application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied parameters from the URI, allowing maliciously crafted input to be directly incorporated into the include/settings.php file. This occurs because the setup script does not adequately validate or escape data before writing it to configuration files, creating a persistent code injection vector that can be exploited by attackers who have already gained administrative access to the system.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe risk to organizations using affected versions of phpCollab. The attack requires only authenticated administrative access, which significantly reduces the attack surface compared to vulnerabilities requiring external exploitation. Once exploited, the injected PHP code can execute with the privileges of the web server process, potentially enabling full system compromise, data exfiltration, or lateral movement within the network. The vulnerability also represents a privilege escalation vector since it allows an attacker with administrative credentials to gain additional control over the application's execution environment.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-94, which describes improper validation of dangerous data in code execution contexts, and represents a specific instance of code injection that can be leveraged for remote code execution. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving privilege escalation and persistence, as the injected code can be used to maintain access and execute malicious commands. The weakness also falls under the category of insecure configuration management, as the application fails to properly secure its configuration file generation process. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patch, ensuring proper access controls, and monitoring for unauthorized administrative activities. Additionally, the vulnerability underscores the importance of input validation and the principle of least privilege in web application security, particularly during installation and configuration phases where sensitive operations occur.