CVE-2009-1814 in PHPenpals
Summary
by MITRE
SQL injection vulnerability in mail.php in PHPenpals 1.1 and earlier allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the ID parameter. NOTE: the profile.php vector is already covered by CVE-2006-0074.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/29/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-1814 represents a critical SQL injection flaw within the PHPenpals 1.1 web application and earlier versions. This security weakness resides in the mail.php script which processes user input through the ID parameter without adequate sanitization or validation. The flaw allows malicious actors to inject arbitrary SQL commands directly into the database query execution flow, potentially enabling full database compromise and unauthorized access to sensitive information.
This vulnerability operates at the application layer and demonstrates a classic SQL injection attack vector where user-supplied data is directly concatenated into SQL queries without proper parameterization or input filtering. The ID parameter in mail.php serves as the primary attack surface, allowing remote attackers to manipulate database operations through crafted input sequences that bypass normal application logic. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it enables attackers to execute commands that can retrieve, modify, or delete database records without authentication.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft to encompass complete system compromise. Attackers can leverage the SQL injection to escalate privileges, extract confidential user data including passwords and personal information, modify database content, and potentially establish persistent backdoors within the application environment. The attack surface is significant as it affects all installations running PHPenpals 1.1 or earlier versions, making it a widespread concern for organizations utilizing this particular software platform.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with CWE-89 which specifically addresses SQL injection flaws in software applications. The attack pattern corresponds to the techniques documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1190 threat pattern for exploitation of vulnerabilities in web applications. Organizations should immediately implement input validation measures including parameterized queries, proper escaping of special characters, and comprehensive output encoding to prevent malicious SQL code execution. Additionally, regular security updates and patch management procedures should be enforced to address known vulnerabilities in third-party applications. The remediation strategy must include code review processes to identify similar injection vulnerabilities in other application components and implementation of web application firewalls to detect and block malicious SQL injection attempts.