CVE-2008-7210 in AJchat
Summary
by MITRE
directory.php in AJchat 0.10 allows remote attackers to bypass input validation and conduct SQL injection attacks via a numeric parameter with a value matching the s parameter s hash value, which prevents the associated $_GET["s"] variable from being unset. NOTE: it could be argued that this vulnerability is due to a bug in the unset PHP command (CVE-2006-3017) and the proper fix should be in PHP; if so, then this should not be treated as a vulnerability in AJChat.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/14/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2008-7210 affects AJchat version 0.10, a web-based chat application that suffers from a critical SQL injection flaw in its directory.php component. This vulnerability stems from improper input validation mechanisms that fail to adequately sanitize user-supplied parameters before processing them in database queries. The specific flaw occurs when a numeric parameter is submitted with a value that matches the s parameter hash value, creating a condition where the associated $_GET["s"] variable remains unset despite the application's attempt to clear it. This behavior creates a dangerous scenario where malicious actors can manipulate the application's logic flow to bypass intended security controls and inject arbitrary SQL commands into the backend database.
The technical execution of this vulnerability relies on a specific interaction between the application's input handling and PHP's variable management system. When a user submits a request containing the problematic numeric parameter, the application attempts to unset the $_GET["s"] variable to prevent its use in subsequent processing. However, due to the matching hash value condition, this unset operation fails to properly clear the variable, allowing the malicious input to persist in the application's execution context. The vulnerability operates at the intersection of improper input validation and flawed variable cleanup, creating a pathway for attackers to inject SQL payloads that can manipulate or extract sensitive data from the underlying database system. This issue represents a classic case of inadequate parameter sanitization where the application trust model is violated by allowing potentially malicious input to influence database operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as successful exploitation could enable attackers to execute arbitrary database commands with the privileges of the web application's database user. This could result in complete database compromise, data exfiltration, modification of chat logs, user account manipulation, and potential lateral movement within the network if the database server has elevated privileges. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the chat application's data, making it particularly dangerous for environments where sensitive communications are stored. Additionally, the presence of such a flaw in a chat application could expose private conversations, user credentials, and other sensitive information that might be stored in the database. The vulnerability's persistence stems from its reliance on PHP's variable handling behavior, making it potentially widespread across different installations that use similar patterns in their code.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper input validation and sanitization techniques that do not rely on PHP's variable unset behavior for security purposes. The recommended approach involves using parameterized queries or prepared statements to prevent SQL injection regardless of input values, implementing strict input type checking to validate that parameters conform to expected formats, and avoiding reliance on unset operations for security controls. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious SQL injection patterns, and conduct regular security assessments to identify similar input validation flaws in other components. The vulnerability highlights the importance of defensive programming practices where security controls are not dependent on specific PHP behavior that may vary across different versions or configurations. According to CWE guidelines, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-89 SQL injection, while the improper use of unset operations relates to CWE-254 insecure coding practices. From an ATT&CK perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1190 for exploitation of vulnerabilities and T1071.004 for application layer protocol traffic. The vulnerability's classification as potentially related to CVE-2006-3017 underscores the need for proper PHP version management and the importance of understanding underlying language behaviors that may create security implications.