CVE-2012-1557 in Plesk
Summary
by MITRE
SQL injection vulnerability in admin/plib/api-rpc/Agent.php in Parallels Plesk Panel 7.x and 8.x before 8.6 MU#2, 9.x before 9.5 MU#11, 10.0.x before MU#13, 10.1.x before MU#22, 10.2.x before MU#16, and 10.3.x before MU#5 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via unspecified vectors, as exploited in the wild in March 2012.
VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/15/2024
The CVE-2012-1557 vulnerability represents a critical sql injection flaw within Parallels Plesk Panel affecting multiple version ranges from 7.x through 10.3.x prior to specific maintenance updates. This vulnerability resides in the admin/plib/api-rpc/Agent.php component of the web hosting control panel, which serves as a crucial interface for administrative operations and api communications. The flaw enables remote attackers to inject malicious sql commands through unspecified input vectors, potentially compromising the entire hosting infrastructure and customer data. The vulnerability was actively exploited in the wild during march 2012, demonstrating its significance and the immediate threat it posed to web hosting providers and their clients.
The technical implementation of this sql injection vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization within the api-rpc agent component. attackers can manipulate parameters passed to the Agent.php script to inject malicious sql payloads that bypass normal security controls. this weakness allows unauthorized execution of database commands with the privileges of the web application, potentially leading to complete database compromise, data exfiltration, and unauthorized access to customer accounts. the vulnerability specifically affects the rpc api functionality that handles administrative operations, making it particularly dangerous as it could enable attackers to escalate privileges and gain deeper system access. the exploitability is enhanced by the fact that the vulnerability affects multiple major version lines, indicating a fundamental flaw in the codebase rather than a localized issue.
the operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple data theft, encompassing complete system compromise and service disruption for hosting providers. successful exploitation could result in unauthorized modification or deletion of customer databases, enabling attackers to manipulate hosting configurations, steal sensitive information, or establish persistent backdoors. the vulnerability affects critical administrative functions within plesk panel, potentially allowing attackers to create new user accounts, modify existing configurations, or even take control of entire hosting environments. given that plesk panel serves as a core component for many web hosting providers, the widespread impact of this vulnerability could affect thousands of websites and customer accounts simultaneously. the exploitation timeline suggests that attackers were actively targeting this vulnerability, indicating the presence of working exploit code in the wild and the urgency of immediate remediation.
mitigation strategies for CVE-2012-1557 require immediate implementation of the vendor-provided patches and updates for all affected versions of Parallels Plesk Panel. organizations should upgrade to the specified maintenance releases including 8.6 mu#2, 9.5 mu#11, 10.0 mu#13, 10.1 mu#22, 10.2 mu#16, and 10.3 mu#5. in addition to patching, network segmentation and monitoring should be implemented to detect potential exploitation attempts. the vulnerability aligns with CWE-89 sql injection weakness classification and maps to attack techniques in the ATT&CK framework under database access and privilege escalation categories. organizations should also implement web application firewalls and input validation controls as additional defensive measures, though the primary defense remains timely patch management. regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in other components of the hosting infrastructure, as this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of comprehensive security hygiene in multi-component systems.