CVE-2017-7581 in News Module
Summary
by MITRE
SQL injection vulnerability in NewsController.php in the News module 5.3.2 and earlier for TYPO3 allows unauthenticated users to execute arbitrary SQL commands via vectors involving overwriteDemand for order and OrderByAllowed.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/24/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-7581 represents a critical SQL injection flaw within the TYPO3 content management system's News module version 5.3.2 and earlier. This vulnerability exposes the system to unauthenticated attackers who can manipulate database queries through crafted input parameters, potentially leading to complete database compromise and unauthorized data access. The flaw specifically resides in the NewsController.php file within the News module, where user-controllable parameters are not properly sanitized before being incorporated into SQL statements.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the overwriteDemand parameter which controls ordering and sorting operations within the news module. When attackers manipulate the order and OrderByAllowed parameters, they can inject malicious SQL code that gets executed within the database context. This vulnerability falls under CWE-89, which specifically addresses SQL injection flaws where untrusted data is incorporated into SQL queries without proper validation or sanitization. The attack vector leverages the lack of input validation for user-supplied ordering parameters, allowing attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms entirely.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as it enables attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands with the privileges of the database user account. This can result in data manipulation, unauthorized access to sensitive information, potential system compromise, and in severe cases, complete database takeover. The vulnerability affects any TYPO3 installation running the affected News module version, making it particularly dangerous as it requires no authentication credentials to exploit. Organizations using TYPO3 CMS with the vulnerable News module are at significant risk of data breaches and system compromise.
Security mitigations for CVE-2017-7581 involve immediate patching of the TYPO3 News module to version 5.3.3 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for the SQL injection vulnerability. Additionally, organizations should implement proper input validation and parameter sanitization measures within their applications, ensuring that all user-supplied data is properly escaped before database insertion. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls can provide additional defense-in-depth, though they should not be relied upon as the sole mitigation. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1071.004 for application layer protocol manipulation and T1190 for exploitation of remote services, highlighting the need for comprehensive security controls across multiple attack surface areas. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be implemented to identify similar issues in other components of the TYPO3 ecosystem, as this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input handling in web applications.