CVE-2016-10007 in dotCMS
Summary
by MITRE
SQL injection vulnerability in the "Marketing > Forms" screen in dotCMS before 3.7.2 and 4.x before 4.1.1 allows remote authenticated administrators to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the _EXT_FORM_HANDLER_orderBy parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/06/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-10007 represents a critical SQL injection flaw within the dotCMS content management platform that specifically targets the Marketing > Forms functionality. This vulnerability affects versions prior to 3.7.2 in the 3.x series and prior to 4.1.1 in the 4.x series, creating a significant security risk for organizations utilizing these older versions. The flaw resides in the handling of user input within the form management interface, where authenticated administrators can exploit the vulnerability to execute arbitrary SQL commands against the underlying database system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs through the _EXT_FORM_HANDLER_orderBy parameter, which is processed without adequate input validation or sanitization mechanisms. When an authenticated administrator accesses the Marketing > Forms screen and manipulates this specific parameter, the system fails to properly escape or filter the input before incorporating it into SQL query construction. This allows an attacker to inject malicious SQL code that gets executed within the database context, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, modification, or deletion. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it requires only authenticated access, meaning that an attacker who has obtained administrative credentials can leverage this flaw to escalate their privileges or extract sensitive information from the database.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data compromise, as it can enable attackers to gain deeper system access and potentially move laterally within the network infrastructure. Attackers could use this vulnerability to extract user credentials, customer data, or other sensitive information stored in the database. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-89, which specifically addresses SQL injection flaws, and represents a direct violation of secure coding practices that require proper input validation and parameterized queries. From an attacker perspective, this vulnerability maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1078 for valid accounts and T1046 for network service scanning, as the attacker would need to identify and exploit this specific endpoint to gain database access.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patching to version 3.7.2 or 4.1.1, depending on their current dotCMS version, as these releases contain the necessary fixes to prevent the SQL injection attack vector. Additionally, implementing proper input validation measures, including parameterized queries and proper escaping of user-supplied data, would mitigate the risk of similar vulnerabilities in the future. Network segmentation and access controls should be reviewed to limit administrative access to only necessary personnel, reducing the attack surface for authenticated exploits. Security monitoring should include detection of unusual database query patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, and regular security assessments should be conducted to identify other potential injection vulnerabilities within the application stack. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date software versions and implementing robust input validation as fundamental security controls in web applications.