CVE-2008-7075 in Stararticles
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple SQL injection vulnerabilities in Kalptaru Infotech Ltd. Star Articles 6.0 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary SQL commands via (1) the subcatid parameter to article.list.php; or the artid parameter to (2) article.print.php, (3) article.comments.php, (4) article.publisher.php, or (5) article.download.php; and (6) the PATH_INFO to article.download.php. NOTE: some of these details are obtained from third party information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/11/2024
The CVE-2008-7075 vulnerability represents a critical SQL injection flaw affecting Kalptaru Infotech Ltd.'s Star Articles 6.0 content management system. This vulnerability exposes multiple attack vectors through various PHP scripts that process user input without proper sanitization, creating opportunities for remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands against the underlying database. The vulnerability specifically targets the article.list.php, article.print.php, article.comments.php, article.publisher.php, article.download.php, and the PATH_INFO parameter of article.download.php, making it particularly dangerous due to its widespread impact across the application's functionality. These attack vectors demonstrate a fundamental lack of input validation and proper database query construction practices within the application's codebase.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of HTTP parameters that are directly incorporated into SQL queries without adequate sanitization or parameterization. When attackers submit malicious input through the subcatid parameter in article.list.php or the artid parameter in any of the listed scripts, the application fails to properly escape or validate these inputs before incorporating them into database queries. The PATH_INFO parameter in article.download.php presents an additional attack surface where the vulnerability can be exploited through URL rewriting mechanisms. This flaw directly maps to CWE-89, which describes SQL injection vulnerabilities where untrusted data is embedded into SQL commands without proper sanitization. The vulnerability's classification aligns with ATT&CK technique T1190, which covers the exploitation of SQL injection vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access to database systems and extract sensitive information.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple data theft, as successful exploitation could enable attackers to execute arbitrary database commands including data modification, deletion, or extraction of sensitive information. Attackers could potentially escalate privileges, create backdoor accounts, or even gain complete control over the database server. The vulnerability affects not only the content management system itself but could also compromise the entire web application infrastructure if the database contains user credentials, personal information, or other sensitive data. The widespread nature of the vulnerability across multiple scripts increases the likelihood of successful exploitation and makes it particularly attractive to automated attack tools. Organizations using this vulnerable software face significant risk of data breaches, regulatory compliance violations, and potential system compromise that could affect their entire digital infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-7075 should focus on immediate implementation of input validation and parameterized queries to prevent SQL injection attacks. The most effective remediation involves updating to a patched version of Star Articles 6.0 or implementing proper input sanitization mechanisms that escape or validate all user-supplied data before processing. Organizations should implement web application firewalls to detect and block malicious SQL injection attempts, while also establishing proper database access controls to limit the damage that could occur from successful exploitation. Additionally, regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components, as this vulnerability demonstrates a pattern of insufficient input validation that could exist elsewhere in the codebase. The remediation process must include comprehensive testing to ensure that all parameterized inputs are properly handled and that the application no longer accepts malicious SQL commands through any of the identified attack vectors.