CVE-2014-9435 in Absolut Engine
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple SQL injection vulnerabilities in Absolut Engine 1.73 allow remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the (1) sectionID parameter to admin/managersection.php, (2) userID parameter to admin/edituser.php, (3) username parameter to admin/admin.php, or (4) title parameter to admin/managerrelated.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/12/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-9435 represents a critical security flaw in Absolut Engine version 1.73 that exposes multiple pathways for SQL injection attacks. This vulnerability affects the administrative components of the content management system and allows authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands against the underlying database. The flaw stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization within several administrative scripts, creating exploitable entry points that can be leveraged by malicious actors with valid administrative credentials.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests through four distinct parameter injection points within the administrative interface. The sectionID parameter in admin/managersection.php provides an attack vector where malicious input can be injected into the SQL query execution flow. Similarly, the userID parameter in admin/edituser.php and the username parameter in admin/admin.php present comparable risks where user-supplied data is directly incorporated into database queries without proper sanitization. Additionally, the title parameter in admin/managerrelated.php creates another potential avenue for exploitation. These injection points demonstrate a common weakness in the application's data handling methodology where user input is not properly escaped or parameterized before being processed by the database engine.
The operational impact of CVE-2014-9435 extends beyond simple data theft, as authenticated attackers can leverage these vulnerabilities to gain complete control over the database operations. Successful exploitation allows malicious actors to read, modify, or delete sensitive information including user credentials, content data, and system configurations. The authenticated nature of the attack means that attackers must already possess valid administrative credentials, but this does not mitigate the severity of the vulnerability since it can lead to privilege escalation, data corruption, and unauthorized access to critical system resources. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-89 which specifically addresses SQL injection flaws, and represents a clear violation of secure coding practices that should prevent direct SQL query construction from user input.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability maps directly to several ATT&CK techniques including T1078 for valid accounts and T1046 for network service scanning, as attackers would need to identify the vulnerable endpoints before exploiting them. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that these are administrative interfaces that typically contain sensitive data and system controls. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including input validation, parameterized queries, and proper access controls. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of regular security assessments and code reviews to identify and remediate similar injection flaws in web applications. Proper implementation of the principle of least privilege and regular security patching would significantly reduce the risk associated with this vulnerability, as it represents a fundamental flaw in the application's security architecture that could be exploited to compromise the entire system.