CVE-2018-5982 in Advertisement Board
Summary
by MITRE
SQL Injection exists in the Advertisement Board 3.1.0 component for Joomla! via a task=show_rss_categories&catname= request.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/30/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-5982 represents a critical SQL injection flaw within the Advertisement Board component version 3.1.0 for Joomla installations that utilize the Advertisement Board component, making it particularly concerning for websites that rely on this third-party extension for advertising management and content presentation.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious request containing a specially formatted catname parameter that gets directly incorporated into SQL query construction without proper input sanitization or parameterization. This lack of input validation creates a classic SQL injection vector where attacker-controlled data can alter the intended execution flow of database commands. The vulnerability falls under CWE-89 which categorizes SQL injection flaws as weaknesses that occur when an application fails to properly escape or parameterize user input before using it in SQL queries, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands against the underlying database.
From an operational perspective, successful exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to severe consequences including unauthorized data access, data manipulation, or complete database compromise. Attackers could potentially extract sensitive information such as user credentials, personal data, or administrative details stored within the Joomla installation, particularly those sites that have not implemented proper input validation measures or updated their components to address known security issues.
The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1190 which describes the use of SQL injection attacks to gain unauthorized access to databases. Security practitioners should consider this vulnerability as part of a broader attack surface assessment, particularly focusing on third-party Joomla installations can significantly reduce the risk of exploitation. Network monitoring and intrusion detection systems should be configured to detect unusual database query patterns that might indicate attempted exploitation of similar SQL injection vulnerabilities.