CVE-2016-8930 in Kenexa LMS on Cloud
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Kenexa LMS on Cloud is vulnerable to SQL injection. A remote attacker could send specially-crafted SQL statements, which could allow the attacker to view, add, modify or delete information in the back-end database.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/09/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-8930 affects IBM Kenexa Learning Management System (LMS) Cloud deployments, representing a critical security flaw that exposes organizations to significant data compromise risks. This vulnerability manifests as a SQL injection weakness within the application's database interaction mechanisms, allowing malicious actors to manipulate backend database operations through crafted input parameters. The affected system operates in a cloud environment, making it accessible to remote attackers who can exploit this vulnerability without requiring physical access to the network infrastructure.
The technical exploitation of this SQL injection vulnerability occurs when the application fails to properly sanitize user inputs before incorporating them into database queries. Attackers can craft malicious SQL statements that bypass authentication mechanisms and directly interact with the underlying database system. This flaw enables unauthorized access to sensitive employee training data, learning records, user credentials, and other confidential information stored within the LMS database. The vulnerability specifically impacts the application's data handling processes, where user-supplied parameters are concatenated into SQL commands without adequate validation or parameterization.
From an operational perspective, the impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure to encompass complete database compromise capabilities. An attacker with successful exploitation can perform read operations to extract sensitive information including employee personal details, training completion records, and assessment results. Additionally, the vulnerability permits write operations that allow attackers to modify existing records or insert new malicious entries, potentially corrupting the learning management system's integrity. The delete functionality enables data destruction operations that could permanently remove critical training materials or user accounts, disrupting organizational learning processes and compliance reporting.
Organizations utilizing IBM Kenexa LMS Cloud must implement immediate mitigations to address this vulnerability, including input validation controls, parameterized query implementations, and comprehensive database access controls. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-89, which specifically addresses SQL injection flaws in software applications, and represents a direct threat to data confidentiality, integrity, and availability as defined by the CIA triad. Security professionals should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block malicious SQL injection attempts, while establishing network segmentation to limit potential attack vectors. The remediation process requires thorough code review and application patching to ensure that all user inputs are properly validated and sanitized before database interaction occurs. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of secure coding practices and regular security assessments in cloud-based enterprise applications.