CVE-2009-0709 in PHPFootball
Summary
by MITRE
SQL injection vulnerability in login.php in PHPFootball 1.6 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the user parameter. 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 • 08/02/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-0709 represents a critical sql injection flaw in the PHPFootball 1.6 web application's login.php script. This security weakness specifically targets the user parameter handling mechanism, creating an exploitable condition that allows remote attackers to manipulate the underlying database queries. The vulnerability resides within the authentication system where user input is not properly sanitized or validated before being incorporated into sql command structures, fundamentally compromising the application's data integrity and security posture.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation practices within the login.php component. When users attempt to authenticate through the web interface, the application accepts the user parameter directly without adequate sanitization measures. This creates an environment where malicious actors can inject specially crafted sql payloads that bypass normal authentication mechanisms and directly manipulate the database operations. The flaw aligns with CWE-89, which specifically addresses sql injection vulnerabilities, and demonstrates how insufficient parameter validation leads to unauthorized database access. Attackers can exploit this weakness by constructing malicious input strings that alter the intended sql query execution flow, potentially gaining unauthorized access to sensitive user data, modifying database records, or even executing administrative commands on the underlying database system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access to encompass comprehensive data compromise and system integrity violations. Remote attackers can leverage this sql injection flaw to extract confidential user information including usernames, passwords, and personal data stored within the application's database. The vulnerability enables attackers to perform unauthorized database operations such as data modification, deletion, or extraction of sensitive information that could be used for identity theft, financial fraud, or further system compromise. Additionally, the flaw may allow attackers to escalate privileges within the application, potentially gaining administrative control over the entire phpfootball system. This vulnerability directly relates to ATT&CK technique T1190, which covers exploitation of remote services through sql injection, and represents a classic example of how authentication bypass vulnerabilities can lead to complete system compromise.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2009-0709 should prioritize immediate implementation of proper input validation and parameterized queries within the login.php script. The most effective remediation involves adopting prepared statements or parameterized queries that separate sql command structure from user input data, ensuring that malicious payloads cannot alter the intended query execution. Organizations should implement comprehensive input sanitization measures that filter or escape special characters commonly used in sql injection attacks such as single quotes, semicolons, and comment markers. Additionally, the application should enforce proper access controls and implement proper error handling that prevents information leakage from database errors. Security patches should be applied immediately to update the phpfootball application to a version that addresses this vulnerability, while also implementing network-level protections such as web application firewalls to detect and block malicious sql injection attempts. Regular security testing including automated sql injection scanning and manual penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components and maintain ongoing security posture.