CVE-2016-10755 in AbanteCart
Summary
by MITRE
AbanteCart 1.2.8 allows SQL Injection via the source_language parameter to admin/controller/pages/localisation/language.php and core/lib/language_manager.php, or via POST data to admin/controller/pages/tool/backup.php and admin/model/tool/backup.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/24/2023
This vulnerability resides in AbanteCart version 1.2.8, a web-based e-commerce platform that suffers from critical SQL injection flaws in its administrative interface. The vulnerability manifests through two distinct attack vectors that exploit improper input validation mechanisms within the application's core components. The first vector targets the source_language parameter in the file admin/controller/pages/localisation/language.php, while the second involves POST data processing in the backup functionality located at admin/controller/pages/tool/backup.php and admin/model/tool/backup.php. Both pathways demonstrate a fundamental failure in input sanitization that allows malicious actors to inject arbitrary SQL commands directly into the database query execution flow.
The technical flaw represents a classic SQL injection vulnerability classified under CWE-89, where user-supplied input is directly concatenated into SQL statements without proper escaping or parameterization. In the context of the language management component, when an attacker supplies malicious input through the source_language parameter, the application fails to validate or sanitize this input before incorporating it into database queries. Similarly, the backup functionality accepts unvalidated POST data that gets processed without adequate security measures, creating identical attack surfaces for SQL command injection. These vulnerabilities operate at the application layer and can be exploited through HTTP requests that manipulate the affected parameters, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary database commands with the privileges of the web application.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, potentially enabling attackers to gain complete administrative control over the affected e-commerce platform. Successful exploitation could result in unauthorized data access, modification, or deletion of sensitive customer information, product catalogs, and financial transaction records. Attackers might also leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges, install backdoors, or perform data exfiltration operations that could compromise the entire web application infrastructure. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that these vulnerabilities exist within administrative controller files, meaning that successful exploitation could provide attackers with full administrative capabilities over the e-commerce platform, including the ability to modify or delete critical business data.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate patching of the vulnerable AbanteCart version to address the identified SQL injection flaws. Organizations should implement proper input validation and parameterized queries throughout the application codebase, ensuring that all user-supplied data undergoes rigorous sanitization before being processed in database operations. The implementation of web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems can provide additional layers of protection by monitoring for suspicious SQL injection patterns in network traffic. Regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in other application components, while maintaining up-to-date security patches for all third-party libraries and frameworks used within the platform. These measures align with defensive techniques outlined in the attack mitigation matrix, specifically addressing the prevention of injection attacks and ensuring proper input handling practices across all application layers.