CVE-2018-20329 in LMS
Summary
by MITRE
Chamilo LMS version 1.11.8 contains a main/inc/lib/CoursesAndSessionsCatalog.class.php SQL injection, allowing users with access to the sessions catalogue (which may optionally be made public) to extract and/or modify database information.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/20/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-20329 affects Chamilo Learning Management System version 1.11.8 and resides within the main/inc/lib/CoursesAndSessionsCatalog.class.php file. This represents a critical SQL injection flaw that exploits improper input validation in the sessions catalogue functionality. The vulnerability specifically targets the database interaction layer where user-supplied parameters are not adequately sanitized before being incorporated into SQL queries. Attackers can leverage this weakness through the sessions catalogue interface, which may be configured as publicly accessible, thereby expanding the potential attack surface beyond just authenticated users. The SQL injection vulnerability allows adversaries to manipulate database queries through malicious input, potentially enabling unauthorized data extraction, modification, or deletion operations.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows standard SQL injection attack patterns where malicious payloads are crafted to bypass input validation mechanisms. The flaw occurs when user-provided data from the sessions catalogue interface is directly concatenated into SQL statements without proper parameterization or escaping. This creates an environment where attackers can inject malicious SQL commands that execute with the privileges of the database user account associated with the Chamilo application. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple data theft as it may enable privilege escalation, data corruption, and potentially full system compromise depending on the database permissions and underlying infrastructure configuration. The sessions catalogue functionality serves as the attack vector because it likely processes user inputs for filtering, sorting, or searching session data, making it a prime target for SQL injection exploitation.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-20329 is significant for organizations relying on Chamilo LMS, particularly those with public session catalogues. Unauthorized database access can result in exposure of sensitive educational data including student records, course materials, user credentials, and institutional information. The vulnerability's accessibility through potentially public interfaces means that attackers do not require prior authentication to exploit the flaw, making it particularly dangerous in environments where openness is a design feature. Organizations may face regulatory compliance violations, data breaches, and reputational damage if this vulnerability is exploited successfully. The attack surface is further expanded because the sessions catalogue functionality often provides rich data presentation capabilities that can be leveraged to extract comprehensive database schemas and content through techniques such as union-based attacks or time-based blind SQL injection methods.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-20329 should focus on immediate patch application from the vendor, as this represents a known vulnerability requiring urgent attention. Organizations should implement proper input validation and parameterized queries throughout the application codebase, particularly in database interaction layers. The principle of least privilege should be enforced by ensuring database accounts used by Chamilo have minimal required permissions and that access controls are properly configured. Network segmentation and monitoring solutions should be deployed to detect anomalous database access patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments of their Chamilo installations to identify similar input validation weaknesses in other components. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-89 which specifically addresses SQL injection flaws, and corresponds to ATT&CK technique T1071.004 for application layer protocol manipulation. Regular security testing including dynamic application security testing and manual penetration testing should be implemented to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in the application's database interaction components.