CVE-2013-4870 in News Search
Summary
by MITRE
SQL injection vulnerability in the News Search (news_search) extension 0.1.0 for TYPO3 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/17/2019
The CVE-2013-4870 vulnerability represents a critical sql injection flaw within the news search extension version 0.1.0 for the TYPO3 content management system. This vulnerability resides in the extension's handling of user input within search functionality, creating a pathway for malicious actors to manipulate database queries through crafted input parameters. The vulnerability affects the extension's ability to properly sanitize or escape user-supplied data before incorporating it into sql commands, which directly violates fundamental security principles for input validation and data sanitization. The flaw enables attackers to bypass normal authentication mechanisms and execute unauthorized database operations, potentially leading to complete system compromise.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of search parameters within the news search extension, where user input is directly concatenated into sql queries without proper sanitization. This type of vulnerability falls under the common weakness enumeration CWE-89, which specifically addresses sql injection vulnerabilities in software applications. Attackers can leverage this weakness to perform various malicious activities including data exfiltration, unauthorized data modification, privilege escalation, and potentially complete system takeover. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers do not require physical access to the system or local network privileges to exploit the flaw, making it particularly dangerous in web-facing environments where the extension is deployed.
The operational impact of CVE-2013-4870 extends beyond simple data theft to encompass complete system compromise and potential business disruption. Organizations running vulnerable TYPO3 installations with the affected news search extension face significant risks including unauthorized access to sensitive information, data corruption, and potential lateral movement within network environments. The vulnerability can be exploited through standard web application attack vectors, including but not limited to parameter manipulation, cookie tampering, and header injection techniques that align with the tactics described in the attack pattern taxonomy under ATT&CK framework category TA0006. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that TYPO3 is widely used in enterprise environments, and the news search extension is commonly deployed in content management scenarios where user input is frequently processed.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of the affected news search extension to version 0.1.1 or later, which contains the necessary sql injection防护 mechanisms. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding measures to prevent similar vulnerabilities in other components of their TYPO3 installations. Security best practices include applying the principle of least privilege to database connections, implementing proper sql query parameterization, and conducting regular security assessments of web applications. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of maintaining current security patches and monitoring for known vulnerabilities in third-party extensions. Network segmentation and intrusion detection systems should be deployed to monitor for exploitation attempts, while regular security audits should verify that all components are running patched versions to prevent exploitation of similar sql injection vulnerabilities in the future.