CVE-2008-4458 in B2B Trading Marketplace Script
Summary
by MITRE
SQL injection vulnerability in listings.php in E-Php B2B Trading Marketplace Script allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the cid parameter in a product action.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/01/2025
The CVE-2008-4458 vulnerability represents a critical SQL injection flaw within the E-Php B2B Trading Marketplace Script, specifically affecting the listings.php component. This vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation and sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly escape or filter user-supplied data before incorporating it into database queries. The flaw is particularly dangerous because it allows remote attackers to manipulate the application's database interactions through the cid parameter, which is utilized in product action operations. The vulnerability falls under the CWE-89 category of SQL Injection, a well-documented weakness that has been consistently ranked among the top security risks in the OWASP Top Ten and the SANS Institute's Top 25 Most Dangerous Software Errors. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by crafting malicious SQL commands within the cid parameter, potentially gaining unauthorized access to sensitive data, modifying database records, or even executing administrative operations on the underlying database system.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when the listings.php script processes user input through the cid parameter without proper sanitization. When a user submits a request containing a specially crafted cid value, the application fails to validate or escape the input before embedding it into SQL queries. This allows attackers to inject malicious SQL syntax that can alter the intended query execution flow. The vulnerability is particularly severe because it affects a core marketplace functionality where product listings are managed, meaning that successful exploitation could lead to complete compromise of the trading platform's product database, customer information, and potentially the entire underlying database infrastructure. The attack surface is broad as the cid parameter is likely used in various product-related operations including viewing, editing, or deleting product listings.
The operational impact of CVE-2008-4458 extends far beyond simple data theft, encompassing complete system compromise and business disruption. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could extract sensitive customer information, manipulate product listings to remove or alter offerings, inject malicious content into the marketplace, or even gain administrative privileges within the database system. The consequences for businesses using this platform could include financial losses, reputational damage, regulatory compliance violations, and potential legal liability from data breaches. The vulnerability also enables more sophisticated attacks such as blind SQL injection techniques that could be used to extract data through error messages or time-based techniques, making it particularly dangerous for systems that handle confidential business or customer information. Organizations relying on this platform face significant risk of unauthorized access to their trading marketplace data, potentially affecting thousands of business transactions and user accounts.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-4458 must focus on implementing proper input validation, parameterized queries, and comprehensive application security measures. The primary defense involves updating the E-Php B2B Trading Marketplace Script to a patched version that implements proper input sanitization and uses parameterized database queries to separate SQL commands from data. Organizations should also implement web application firewalls that can detect and block malicious SQL injection patterns, conduct regular security code reviews focusing on database interaction points, and establish input validation routines that strictly filter and sanitize all user-supplied data. Additionally, implementing principle of least privilege access controls, regular database query monitoring, and intrusion detection systems can help detect exploitation attempts. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving command and control communications, credential access, and privilege escalation, making comprehensive network monitoring and endpoint detection crucial components of the overall security posture. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to ensure that similar vulnerabilities are not present in other components of the trading platform infrastructure.