CVE-2018-10197 in ELO
Summary
by MITRE
There is a time-based blind SQL injection vulnerability in the Access Manager component before 9.18.040 and 10.x before 10.18.040 in ELO ELOenterprise 9 and 10 and ELOprofessional 9 and 10 that makes it possible to read all database content. The vulnerability exists in the ticket HTTP GET parameter. For example, one can succeed in reading the password hash of the administrator user in the "userdata" table from the "eloam" database.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/25/2024
The vulnerability CVE-2018-10197 represents a critical time-based blind sql injection flaw within the access manager component of ELO enterprise and professional software versions 9 and 10. This security weakness affects all versions prior to 9.18.040 and 10.18.040 respectively, making it a persistent threat across multiple product iterations. The vulnerability specifically resides in the handling of the ticket HTTP GET parameter, which serves as an entry point for malicious actors to exploit the system's database access mechanisms. This type of injection vulnerability falls under the CWE-89 classification for SQL Injection and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213.002 for Data from Information Repositories, demonstrating how attackers can leverage web application flaws to gain unauthorized database access.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through carefully crafted time-based payloads that manipulate the database query execution timing. When an attacker submits a malicious ticket parameter, the application fails to properly sanitize input before incorporating it into database queries, allowing the attacker to infer database contents through response timing variations. The vulnerability enables complete database enumeration, including sensitive information such as administrator password hashes stored in the userdata table of the eloam database. This represents a severe privilege escalation vector that can lead to full system compromise, as database credentials often provide access to underlying system resources and additional user accounts.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as it provides attackers with the capability to perform comprehensive database reconnaissance and potentially execute further attacks. The time-based blind nature of the injection means that attackers can extract data without direct query output, making detection more challenging while still enabling complete database content disclosure. This vulnerability directly violates security principles of input validation and proper database query construction, creating a persistent backdoor for unauthorized access. Organizations running affected ELO versions face significant risk of unauthorized data access, potential system compromise, and regulatory compliance violations due to exposure of sensitive authentication information.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-10197 require immediate implementation of software updates to versions 9.18.040 or 10.18.040 respectively, which contain the necessary patches to address the input sanitization flaws. Organizations should also implement web application firewalls to monitor and filter suspicious HTTP GET parameter patterns, while conducting thorough input validation across all user-supplied data. Network segmentation and database access controls should be strengthened to limit potential lateral movement if exploitation occurs. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be performed to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components, while implementing proper monitoring for unusual database query patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and proper input validation practices in web applications to prevent unauthorized database access.