CVE-2014-125040 in DevNewsAggregator
Summary
by MITRE • 01/05/2023
A vulnerability was found in stevejagodzinski DevNewsAggregator. It has been rated as critical. Affected by this issue is the function getByName of the file php/data_access/RemoteHtmlContentDataAccess.php. The manipulation of the argument name leads to sql injection. The name of the patch is b9de907e7a8c9ca9d75295da675e58c5bf06b172. It is recommended to apply a patch to fix this issue. The identifier of this vulnerability is VDB-217484.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/28/2023
This critical vulnerability exists in the DevNewsAggregator application developed by stevejagodzinski and specifically affects the RemoteHtmlContentDataAccess.php file. The flaw resides within the getByName function which processes user-supplied input without proper sanitization, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute unauthorized database operations. The vulnerability is classified as a sql injection flaw that occurs when the name argument is manipulated by an attacker, allowing arbitrary sql commands to be executed against the underlying database system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a classic parameterized query failure where user input directly influences sql statement construction. When the getByName function processes the name parameter, it concatenates user-provided data into sql queries without proper input validation or sanitization mechanisms. This design flaw enables attackers to inject malicious sql payloads that can bypass authentication, extract sensitive data, modify database records, or even execute destructive operations on the database server. The vulnerability represents a direct violation of secure coding practices and can be categorized under CWE-89 which specifically addresses sql injection weaknesses in software applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and potentially catastrophic for systems running the affected DevNewsAggregator application. An attacker exploiting this flaw could gain unauthorized access to all database contents, including user credentials, personal information, and application configuration data. The vulnerability allows for privilege escalation attacks and can enable complete database compromise, making it a prime target for malicious actors seeking to exploit weak input validation mechanisms. Additionally, the sql injection capability could be leveraged to perform data exfiltration, data manipulation, or even establish persistent backdoors within the affected system infrastructure.
Security practitioners should immediately implement the provided patch identified by the commit hash b9de907e7a8c9ca9d75295da675e58c5bf06b172 to address this critical vulnerability. The patch should be applied to the RemoteHtmlContentDataAccess.php file, specifically modifying the getByName function to properly sanitize and validate all input parameters before incorporating them into database queries. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as web application firewalls, database activity monitoring, and regular security assessments to detect potential exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with attack patterns documented in the attack technique matrix under ATT&CK tactic TA0006 (credential access) and TA0002 (execution) where sql injection serves as a foundational technique for unauthorized system access and privilege escalation.