CVE-2013-10043 in VoIP PBX
Summary
by MITRE • 07/31/2025
A vulnerability exists in OAstium VoIP PBX astium-confweb-2.1-25399 and earlier, where improper input validation in the logon.php script allows an attacker to bypass authentication via SQL injection. Once authenticated as an administrator, the attacker can upload arbitrary PHP code through the importcompany field in import.php, resulting in remote code execution. The malicious payload is injected into /usr/local/astium/web/php/config.php and executed with root privileges by triggering a configuration reload via sudo /sbin/service astcfgd reload. Successful exploitation leads to full system compromise.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/31/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2013-10043 represents a critical authentication bypass flaw in the OAstium VoIP PBX system that demonstrates a classic chain of exploitation leading to complete system compromise. This vulnerability affects astium-confweb versions 2.1-25399 and earlier, where the logon.php script fails to properly validate user inputs, creating an entry point for malicious actors to circumvent the authentication mechanism. The flaw stems from inadequate input sanitization practices that allow attackers to inject malicious SQL payloads into the login process, effectively enabling unauthorized administrative access to the system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability follows a well-defined exploitation pattern that aligns with CWE-89 SQL Injection and CWE-287 Improper Authentication categories. When an attacker successfully performs SQL injection against the logon.php script, they can authenticate as an administrator without proper credentials, gaining elevated privileges within the system. This initial compromise is followed by a secondary vulnerability in the import.php script where the importcompany field lacks proper validation, allowing arbitrary PHP code upload capabilities. The exploitation chain demonstrates how a single input validation failure can cascade into remote code execution, representing a fundamental weakness in the application's security architecture.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple unauthorized access, as successful exploitation results in complete system compromise with root privileges. The malicious PHP code uploaded through the importcompany field is injected into the system's configuration file at /usr/local/astium/web/php/config.php, creating a persistent backdoor that executes with the highest possible privileges. This privilege escalation occurs when the attacker triggers a configuration reload using sudo /sbin/service astcfgd reload, which executes the malicious code with root permissions. The attack vector demonstrates the dangerous combination of insufficient input validation, poor privilege separation, and insecure file handling practices that collectively enable full system takeover.
Organizations operating OAstium VoIP PBX systems are particularly vulnerable to this exploitation pattern as it requires minimal technical expertise to execute and provides maximum impact. The vulnerability operates within the context of the ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation and execution techniques, specifically targeting the system's configuration management processes. The attack chain illustrates how SQL injection can be leveraged to bypass authentication controls, followed by code execution through insecure file upload mechanisms. Security professionals should note that this vulnerability represents a common pattern in legacy VoIP systems where input validation was not properly implemented, highlighting the importance of comprehensive security testing and regular patch management for telecommunications infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both the authentication bypass and the subsequent code execution capabilities. Organizations should implement immediate patching of affected astium-confweb versions to address the SQL injection vulnerability in logon.php, while also applying proper input validation and sanitization across all user input fields. The import.php script requires immediate remediation through strict validation of the importcompany field and implementation of proper file type and content checks. Additionally, privilege separation should be enforced by removing unnecessary sudo permissions for configuration reload operations, ensuring that only authorized administrative processes can execute system-level commands. Network segmentation and monitoring should be implemented to detect unauthorized access attempts and code execution activities, while regular security audits should verify that no malicious code remains in the system configuration files.