CVE-2014-1651 in Web Gateway
Summary
by MITRE
SQL injection vulnerability in clientreport.php in the management console in Symantec Web Gateway (SWG) before 5.2 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/23/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-1651 represents a critical SQL injection flaw within Symantec Web Gateway's management console interface. This issue affects versions prior to 5.2 of the Symantec Web Gateway software, which is a comprehensive web security appliance designed to protect organizations from malicious web traffic and threats. The vulnerability specifically resides in the clientreport.php component of the management console, making it accessible to remote attackers who can exploit this weakness without requiring local system access or authentication. The SQL injection vulnerability allows malicious actors to inject and execute arbitrary SQL commands against the underlying database system that powers the management console functionality.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization within the clientreport.php script. When the management console processes user-supplied data through this interface, it fails to properly escape or validate parameters before incorporating them into SQL query structures. This weakness enables attackers to manipulate the SQL query execution flow by injecting malicious SQL syntax through input fields or parameters that are processed by the vulnerable script. The unspecified vectors mentioned in the CVE description suggest that multiple entry points within the clientreport.php functionality could be exploited, potentially including URL parameters, form inputs, or other user-controllable data elements. This broad attack surface increases the likelihood of successful exploitation and makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous for organizations using affected Symantec Web Gateway versions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, as it provides attackers with unauthorized access to the management console database and potentially the underlying system. Successful exploitation could allow threat actors to extract sensitive configuration data, user credentials, and other confidential information stored within the database. Additionally, attackers might be able to modify or delete critical system configurations, potentially disrupting the web gateway's protective capabilities and leaving the organization's network vulnerable to further attacks. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers can exploit it from anywhere on the internet without requiring physical access to the network or system, making it particularly attractive to cybercriminals and advanced persistent threat actors. Organizations relying on Symantec Web Gateway for network protection could face significant security breaches and compliance violations if this vulnerability remains unpatched.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-89, which specifically addresses SQL injection weaknesses in software applications, and represents a clear violation of secure coding practices for database interaction. From an adversarial perspective, this vulnerability would likely be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1190 for exploiting vulnerabilities in web applications and potentially T1078 for gaining access to system resources through compromised management interfaces. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided security patches for Symantec Web Gateway version 5.2 or later, implementing network segmentation to limit access to the management console, and conducting thorough security assessments of other components within the web gateway infrastructure. Additional protective measures should include monitoring database access logs for suspicious activities, implementing web application firewalls to detect SQL injection attempts, and establishing robust access controls for management interfaces to prevent unauthorized access to critical system components.