CVE-2009-4803 in Accessibility Glossary
Summary
by MITRE
SQL injection vulnerability in the Accessibility Glossary (a21glossary) extension 0.4.10 and earlier for TYPO3 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/29/2017
The CVE-2009-4803 vulnerability represents a critical SQL injection flaw within the Accessibility Glossary extension for TYPO3 content management system. This vulnerability affects versions 0.4.10 and earlier, creating a significant security risk for organizations utilizing TYPO3 platforms. The issue stems from improper input validation mechanisms within the a21glossary extension, which fails to adequately sanitize user-supplied data before incorporating it into database queries. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to inject malicious SQL commands through unspecified attack vectors, potentially enabling full database compromise and unauthorized access to sensitive information.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when user input is directly concatenated into SQL query strings without proper sanitization or parameterization. This flaw falls under the common weakness enumeration CWE-89, which specifically addresses SQL injection vulnerabilities where untrusted data is incorporated into SQL commands. The attack vector typically involves manipulating parameters or form fields within the glossary extension's interface to inject malicious SQL syntax. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to execute arbitrary database commands, potentially gaining read access to sensitive data, modifying database contents, or even escalating privileges within the database environment. The remote nature of this vulnerability means that attackers do not require physical access to the system, making it particularly dangerous for web-facing applications.
The operational impact of CVE-2009-4803 extends beyond simple data theft, encompassing potential system compromise and business disruption. Organizations running affected TYPO3 versions face risks of data breaches, regulatory compliance violations, and reputational damage when this vulnerability is exploited. The vulnerability can lead to unauthorized modification of accessibility glossaries, which may contain sensitive organizational information or user data. Depending on the database permissions, attackers might gain the ability to execute administrative database commands, create new user accounts, or even delete critical data. The long-term implications include potential lateral movement within network environments if the database server is not properly isolated, and the possibility of establishing persistent backdoors through database access.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2009-4803 should prioritize immediate patching of the affected TYPO3 extension to version 0.4.11 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes. Organizations must implement proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout their TYPO3 installations, ensuring that all user-supplied data undergoes rigorous sanitization before database interaction. The implementation of prepared statements or parameterized queries should be enforced across all database operations to prevent injection attacks. Network segmentation and firewall rules can provide additional defense-in-depth measures, limiting access to database servers and reducing the attack surface. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar issues within other extensions or custom code modules. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1190 - Exploit Public-Facing Application, highlighting the need for comprehensive application security testing and monitoring of web application traffic for signs of exploitation attempts.