CVE-2018-3883 in ERPNext
Summary
by MITRE
An exploitable SQL injection vulnerability exists in the authenticated part of ERPNext v10.1.6. Specially crafted web requests can cause SQL injections resulting in data compromise. The employee and sort_order parameter can be used to perform an SQL injection attack. An attacker can use a browser to trigger these vulnerabilities, and no special tools are required.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/16/2023
The CVE-2018-3883 vulnerability represents a critical SQL injection flaw within ERPNext version 10.1.6 that affects the authenticated administrative interface of this enterprise resource planning system. This vulnerability resides in the web application's parameter handling mechanism where user-supplied input is not properly sanitized before being incorporated into database queries. The specific attack vectors involve the employee and sort_order parameters which are processed without adequate input validation or parameterization, creating a direct pathway for malicious SQL commands to be executed against the underlying database system. This issue is particularly concerning as it requires only basic web browser capabilities to exploit, eliminating the need for specialized attack tools and making it accessible to a broad range of threat actors.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when authenticated users submit malicious input through the employee and sort_order parameters, which are then directly embedded into SQL queries without proper sanitization or parameter binding. This primitive form of SQL injection allows attackers to manipulate database operations and potentially extract sensitive information, modify data, or even execute administrative commands on the database server. The vulnerability's classification as a CWE-89 (SQL Injection) demonstrates the fundamental flaw in input handling where user-controllable data flows directly into database command execution contexts. The attack surface is further extended by the fact that this vulnerability exists in the authenticated portion of the application, meaning that an attacker would need valid credentials to exploit it, but this authentication requirement does not prevent the exploitation once access is gained.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-3883 extends beyond simple data theft, as successful exploitation could lead to complete database compromise and potential lateral movement within the enterprise network. ERPNext systems typically contain sensitive organizational data including employee records, financial information, and business operations data, making this vulnerability particularly attractive to attackers seeking to gain comprehensive access to enterprise resources. The vulnerability's presence in the employee parameter suggests potential access to personnel records and associated privileges, while the sort_order parameter could enable manipulation of database sorting operations to extract information through error-based or time-based SQL injection techniques. This type of vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213 (Data from Information Repositories) and T1078 (Valid Accounts) as it leverages legitimate authenticated access to extract sensitive information from database repositories.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including input validation and parameterized query execution for all user-supplied parameters. The recommended approach involves implementing proper input sanitization mechanisms that filter or escape special characters that could be used in SQL injection attacks, combined with the adoption of prepared statements or parameterized queries that separate SQL command structure from data values. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls and input validation rules that specifically block known SQL injection patterns would provide additional defense layers. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of regular security assessments and patch management processes, as this issue was resolved in subsequent versions of ERPNext through proper input validation and parameter handling implementations. Security teams should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments of all authenticated web interfaces and ensure that database access controls are properly configured to limit the impact of potential SQL injection attacks through principle of least privilege implementations.