CVE-2018-19331 in S-Cms
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in S-CMS v1.5. There is a SQL injection vulnerability in search.php via the keyword parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/13/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-19331 represents a critical security flaw in S-CMS version 1.5 that exposes the application to unauthorized data access through SQL injection attacks. This vulnerability specifically affects the search functionality of the content management system, where the keyword parameter in the search.php script fails to properly sanitize user input before incorporating it into database queries. The flaw enables malicious actors to inject arbitrary SQL code through the search interface, potentially allowing them to extract sensitive information from the underlying database.
This SQL injection vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-89, which classifies improper neutralization of special elements used in SQL commands as a fundamental weakness in application security. The vulnerability exists due to insufficient input validation and parameterized query implementation in the search functionality, creating an exploitable entry point that allows attackers to manipulate the database query execution flow. The attack vector is particularly concerning as it leverages a commonly used feature of web applications, making it highly accessible to threat actors who may not require advanced technical skills to exploit.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as successful exploitation could enable attackers to perform unauthorized database operations including data modification, deletion, or extraction of confidential information such as user credentials, personal data, or administrative access details. The vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of the entire content management system, potentially compromising the security posture of organizations relying on S-CMS for their web presence. Attackers could leverage this weakness to gain persistent access to the system, escalate privileges, or use the compromised credentials to launch further attacks within the network infrastructure.
From an adversarial perspective, this vulnerability aligns with tactics described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1071.004 sub-technique for application layer protocol usage, where attackers exploit web application vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access. The vulnerability also maps to ATT&CK technique T1213.002 for data from information repositories, as it provides access to stored database information. Organizations utilizing S-CMS v1.5 should implement immediate mitigations including input validation, parameterized queries, and proper output encoding to prevent SQL injection exploitation. Additionally, regular security assessments, web application firewalls, and database access controls should be deployed to reduce the attack surface and protect against similar vulnerabilities in the application's architecture.
The remediation approach should focus on implementing proper input sanitization mechanisms and adopting secure coding practices that prevent user-supplied data from being directly incorporated into database queries. Organizations should also consider implementing database activity monitoring and regular security patching to maintain defense in depth. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation in web applications and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing during the development lifecycle to prevent such flaws from reaching production environments.