CVE-2009-0326 in Dark Age CMS
Summary
by MITRE
SQL injection vulnerability in login.php in Dark Age CMS 0.2c beta allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the (1) username and (2) password parameters. NOTE: the provenance of this information is unknown; the details are obtained solely from third party information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/02/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-0326 represents a critical SQL injection flaw within the Dark Age CMS 0.2c beta web application, specifically affecting the login.php script. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly handle user-supplied data before incorporating it into SQL database queries. The flaw manifests when attackers provide malicious input through the username and password parameters, which are then directly concatenated into SQL commands without appropriate escaping or parameterization techniques. This vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-89, which specifically addresses SQL injection vulnerabilities that occur when untrusted data is incorporated into SQL commands without proper sanitization.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching, as it enables remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands against the underlying database system. Attackers can leverage this weakness to bypass authentication mechanisms, extract sensitive user credentials, modify database contents, or even escalate privileges within the application. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers do not require local access or credentials to attempt exploitation, making it particularly dangerous in publicly accessible web environments. The fact that both username and password parameters are susceptible to injection creates multiple attack vectors, increasing the probability of successful exploitation and providing attackers with greater flexibility in their approach.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows standard SQL injection patterns where attackers craft malicious input strings that alter the intended SQL query structure. When the application processes these inputs through login.php, the unsanitized parameters are directly embedded into database queries, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate the query execution flow. This could result in unauthorized database access, data exfiltration, or complete system compromise depending on the database permissions and the attacker's skill level. The vulnerability's classification aligns with ATT&CK technique T1190, which covers exploitation of vulnerabilities in applications to gain unauthorized access to systems.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper input validation, parameterized queries, and secure coding practices. Developers must ensure that all user inputs are properly sanitized and escaped before being incorporated into database queries. The implementation of prepared statements or parameterized queries would effectively neutralize this type of injection attack. Additionally, the application should enforce proper authentication mechanisms, implement account lockout policies, and conduct regular security audits to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities. System administrators should also consider implementing web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts targeting known vulnerabilities like CVE-2009-0326.