CVE-2012-3471 in Ushahidi
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple SQL injection vulnerabilities in the edit functions in (1) application/controllers/admin/reports.php and (2) application/controllers/members/reports.php in the Ushahidi Platform before 2.5 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via an incident id.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/07/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-3471 represents a critical SQL injection flaw within the Ushahidi Platform, a widely used open-source disaster response and information collection system. This vulnerability affects versions prior to 2.5 and specifically targets the edit functions within two distinct controller files: application/controllers/admin/reports.php and application/controllers/members/reports.php. The Ushahidi Platform serves as a critical tool for organizations, governments, and humanitarian groups to collect, manage, and disseminate information during emergencies and disasters, making this vulnerability particularly concerning from a security perspective. The flaw allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands through manipulation of the incident id parameter, which is commonly used within the platform's reporting and incident management functionalities.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization within the affected controller files. When users attempt to edit reports or incidents within the platform, the system processes the incident id parameter without proper sanitization or parameterized query construction. This creates an opportunity for malicious actors to inject malicious SQL code through the incident id field, which then gets executed by the database layer. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-89 as SQL Injection, specifically manifesting as an injection flaw where untrusted data enters the application and is interpreted as part of an SQL command. Attackers can exploit this weakness to bypass authentication, extract sensitive data, modify database contents, or potentially gain full control over the database server. The impact is amplified because the affected functionality is part of core reporting mechanisms that are frequently accessed by both administrators and regular users within the platform.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data compromise, as it fundamentally undermines the integrity and confidentiality of the Ushahidi Platform's data ecosystem. Given that the platform is often deployed in sensitive contexts such as disaster response, conflict zones, and humanitarian crises, the potential for data manipulation or theft is particularly severe. An attacker could potentially access sensitive information about victims, responders, or organizational data, or even delete critical incident reports that may be essential for coordinating emergency responses. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers do not need physical access to the system or network, making it accessible from anywhere on the internet. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1190 for exploiting vulnerabilities in remote services, and T1071.004 for application layer protocol usage. Organizations using the platform may face reputational damage, legal consequences, and operational disruption during critical emergency situations when this vulnerability is exploited.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2012-3471 should prioritize immediate patching of the Ushahidi Platform to version 2.5 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for the SQL injection vulnerabilities. Organizations should implement proper input validation and sanitization measures, ensuring that all user-supplied data is properly escaped or parameterized before being processed by database queries. The implementation of prepared statements and parameterized queries should be enforced throughout the application codebase to prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring in other components. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls can provide additional defense-in-depth measures, though they should not be relied upon as the sole mitigation strategy. Regular security audits and code reviews should be conducted to identify and remediate similar injection vulnerabilities within the platform's codebase. Organizations should also consider implementing database access controls and monitoring mechanisms to detect unauthorized database access attempts, as outlined in security frameworks such as NIST SP 800-53 controls for access control and audit logging. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of secure coding practices in applications handling sensitive data, particularly in mission-critical systems used during emergencies and disasters where the stakes for data integrity and availability are exceptionally high.