CVE-2018-17092 in DonLinkage
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in DonLinkage 6.6.8. SQL injection in /pages/proxy/php.php and /pages/proxy/add.php can be exploited via specially crafted input, allowing an attacker to obtain information from a database. The vulnerability can only be triggered by an authorized user.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/24/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-17092 represents a critical sql injection flaw within the DonLinkage 6.6.8 web application framework. This security weakness resides in the proxy handling components of the software, specifically affecting the php.php and add.php scripts located within the /pages/proxy/ directory structure. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly escape or filter user-supplied data before incorporating it into database query constructions. The flaw allows malicious actors to manipulate the application's database interactions through carefully crafted input parameters, potentially enabling unauthorized data access and retrieval.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a classic sql injection attack vector where user-controllable parameters are directly concatenated into sql query strings without proper sanitization. This pattern aligns with CWE-89 which categorizes sql injection as a widespread weakness in software applications that fail to properly validate or escape input data before using it in database operations. The attack requires an authenticated user context, meaning that exploitation cannot occur from an unauthenticated state, but once authorized, the attacker can leverage their existing credentials to execute malicious sql commands against the backend database system. This authentication requirement provides some mitigation but does not eliminate the severity of the vulnerability.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it can potentially enable attackers with valid credentials to extract sensitive data from the database including user credentials, personal information, application configuration details, and other confidential data. The vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of the system's data layer, potentially leading to privilege escalation attacks, data manipulation, or even complete system compromise if the database contains administrative accounts or system-level information. The fact that this affects proxy functionality suggests that the vulnerability may also impact network communication handling and could potentially be leveraged to bypass certain network security controls.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-17092 should focus on implementing proper input validation and parameterized query execution throughout the affected application components. The most effective remediation involves replacing direct string concatenation of user input with prepared statements or parameterized queries that separate the sql command structure from the data values. Organizations should also implement proper access controls and monitor for unusual database access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of following secure coding practices and adheres to ATT&CK technique T1071.004 which covers application layer protocol manipulation, particularly in scenarios where authenticated users can leverage legitimate application functionality to perform unauthorized database operations.