CVE-2018-12977 in Excellence Suite
Summary
by MITRE
A SQL injection vulnerability in the SoftExpert (SE) Excellence Suite 2.0 allows remote authenticated users to perform SQL heuristics by pulling information from the database with the "cddocument" parameter in the "Downloading Electronic Documents" section.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/03/2020
The CVE-2018-12977 vulnerability represents a critical SQL injection flaw within the SoftExpert Excellence Suite 2.0 platform that exposes organizations to significant data compromise risks. This vulnerability specifically affects the document management functionality of the software, where authenticated users can manipulate database queries through the "cddocument" parameter in the "Downloading Electronic Documents" section. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and improper parameter handling within the application's backend database interactions, creating a pathway for malicious actors to execute arbitrary SQL commands against the underlying database system.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an authenticated user crafts malicious input through the cddocument parameter, which is then directly incorporated into SQL query construction without proper sanitization or parameterization. This flaw falls under CWE-89, which specifically addresses SQL injection vulnerabilities where untrusted data is concatenated into SQL commands. The vulnerability enables attackers to perform SQL heuristics, allowing them to extract sensitive information from the database including user credentials, personal data, and business-critical information stored within the SoftExpert platform. The authenticated nature of the attack means that adversaries need only obtain legitimate user credentials to exploit this weakness, making the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where user access is not strictly controlled.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as it can enable attackers to escalate privileges, modify database contents, and potentially gain deeper system access. Organizations using SoftExpert Excellence Suite 2.0 face significant risks including unauthorized data access, data integrity compromise, and potential compliance violations given the sensitive nature of information typically stored within such enterprise document management systems. The vulnerability's remote execution capability means that attackers can exploit it from outside the organization's network, provided they have valid user credentials, making it a particularly attractive target for external threat actors. This type of vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1071.004 which covers application layer protocols, specifically targeting web application vulnerabilities that allow for database manipulation.
Security mitigation strategies should focus on implementing proper input validation and parameterized queries to prevent SQL injection attacks. Organizations should immediately apply available patches from SoftExpert to address this vulnerability, while also implementing network segmentation to limit access to the affected system. Additional protective measures include implementing web application firewalls, conducting regular security assessments, and establishing strict access controls to minimize the impact of compromised credentials. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper database security practices and the necessity of following secure coding standards to prevent such attacks from occurring in enterprise applications.