CVE-2018-6883 in Piwigo
Summary
by MITRE
Piwigo before 2.9.3 has SQL injection in admin/tags.php in the administration panel, via the tags array parameter in an admin.php?page=tags request. The attacker must be an administrator.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/10/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-6883 represents a critical SQL injection flaw within the Piwigo photo gallery software affecting versions prior to 2.9.3. This vulnerability specifically targets the administrative panel of the application, making it particularly dangerous as it requires minimal privileges to exploit. The flaw exists in the admin/tags.php file where the application fails to properly sanitize user input when processing the tags array parameter. The vulnerability is triggered through a request to admin.php?page=tags, which allows an authenticated administrator to inject malicious SQL code into the database query execution process.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-89, which categorizes SQL injection as a weakness that occurs when an application incorporates user input into SQL queries without proper sanitization or parameterization. This particular flaw demonstrates how even administrative functions can contain dangerous input handling vulnerabilities, as the application does not adequately validate or escape the tags array parameter before incorporating it into database operations. The exploitation requires an attacker to already possess administrative credentials, which makes this vulnerability a privilege escalation issue rather than a direct remote code execution vector, but still represents a significant security risk.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is substantial for organizations using vulnerable versions of Piwigo, as it allows an attacker with administrative access to execute arbitrary SQL commands against the underlying database. This could lead to data exfiltration, data manipulation, or potentially full database compromise. The vulnerability's exploitation requires an attacker to already be authenticated as an administrator, which limits its scope compared to remote code execution vulnerabilities, but does not diminish its severity given that administrative accounts often contain sensitive information and system access privileges. The attack vector is relatively straightforward, requiring only a specific parameter injection in the administrative interface.
Organizations using Piwigo should immediately upgrade to version 2.9.3 or later to mitigate this vulnerability, as this release includes proper input validation and sanitization for the affected parameter. Security teams should also implement network monitoring to detect unusual administrative activities that might indicate exploitation attempts, and consider implementing additional access controls and privilege management measures. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation in all application components, including administrative interfaces, and highlights how even well-established applications can contain critical flaws that require regular security updates and code reviews. This issue also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and T1046 which covers network service scanning, as exploitation would likely involve administrative account usage and potentially database reconnaissance activities.