CVE-2015-2563 in phpVID
Summary
by MITRE
SQL injection vulnerability in groups.php in Vastal I-Tech phpVID 0.9.9 and 1.2.3 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the order_by parameter. NOTE: The cat parameter vector is already covered by CVE-2008-4157.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/01/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-2563 represents a critical SQL injection flaw within the phpVID content management system developed by Vastal I-Tech. This vulnerability specifically affects versions 0.9.9 and 1.2.3 of the software, creating a significant security risk that enables remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands against the underlying database. The vulnerability manifests through the groups.php script where the order_by parameter is improperly handled, allowing malicious actors to inject SQL code that bypasses normal input validation mechanisms. The flaw resides in the application's failure to properly sanitize or escape user-supplied input before incorporating it into database queries, directly violating established security principles for input validation and output encoding.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts malicious input for the order_by parameter in the groups.php script. This input is then directly concatenated into SQL query strings without proper sanitization, enabling attackers to manipulate the database query structure. The vulnerability maps to CWE-89 which specifically addresses SQL injection flaws where untrusted data is incorporated into SQL commands without proper escaping or parameterization. The attack vector allows for complete database compromise, potentially enabling unauthorized data access, modification, or deletion, along with privilege escalation capabilities that could lead to full system compromise. This vulnerability falls under the ATT&CK technique T1071.004 for Application Layer Protocol: DNS, though more accurately represents T1071.001 for Application Layer Protocol: Web Protocols, where attackers leverage web application vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as it provides attackers with the capability to perform extensive database manipulation operations including but not limited to data exfiltration, data corruption, and privilege escalation. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to extract sensitive information such as user credentials, personal data, and system configuration details stored in the database. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers do not require physical access to the system, making it particularly dangerous for web-facing applications. Given that this vulnerability affects a content management system, the potential for additional attack surface expansion exists through the possibility of using the compromised database as a foothold for further attacks within the network infrastructure. The vulnerability's persistence across multiple versions indicates a fundamental flaw in the application's security architecture that requires immediate remediation to prevent exploitation.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-2563 must focus on immediate patching of the affected software versions, as the vendor has likely released security updates to address this specific vulnerability. Organizations should implement proper input validation and parameterized queries to prevent similar issues in the future, ensuring that all user inputs are properly escaped or sanitized before database processing. The implementation of web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems can provide additional layers of protection by monitoring for suspicious query patterns. Regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in other application components. Database access controls should be reviewed to ensure that applications use minimal required privileges, reducing the potential impact of successful exploitation. Additionally, network segmentation and monitoring should be implemented to detect and respond to unauthorized database access attempts that may result from successful exploitation of this vulnerability.