CVE-2019-17295 in SugarCRM
Summary
by MITRE
SugarCRM before 8.0.4 and 9.x before 9.0.2 allows SQL injection in the history function by a Regular user.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/03/2024
SugarCRM versions prior to 8.0.4 and 9.x prior to 9.0.2 contain a critical sql injection vulnerability within the history function that can be exploited by regular users without administrative privileges. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-89 category of sql injection attacks, where malicious input is not properly sanitized or validated before being incorporated into sql queries. The flaw specifically affects the history functionality of the application which tracks user activities and system events, making it a particularly dangerous vector for attackers seeking to extract sensitive data from the underlying database.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the history function parameters. When regular users interact with the history tracking features, their input data is directly concatenated into sql statements without proper sanitization or parameterization. This allows an attacker to inject malicious sql payloads that can manipulate the database queries and potentially execute arbitrary commands on the underlying database server. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it does not require elevated privileges, meaning any authenticated user can exploit this weakness to compromise the system's data integrity.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for organizations using affected SugarCRM versions. Attackers could potentially extract confidential customer data, user credentials, financial information, and other sensitive business data stored within the database. The attack surface is further expanded because the vulnerability exists in a function that tracks user activities, meaning attackers could also manipulate audit trails and potentially cover their tracks. This type of vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004 which covers valid accounts and T1566.001 which involves valid accounts for initial access, as regular users can leverage this weakness to escalate their privileges and gain deeper access to the system.
Organizations should immediately implement the security patches released by SugarCRM for versions 8.0.4 and 9.0.2 to address this vulnerability. In the interim, administrators should consider implementing additional security controls such as input validation at the application level, database query parameterization, and monitoring for unusual activity patterns in the history tracking function. Network segmentation and database access controls should also be reviewed to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and secure coding practices as outlined in the owasp top ten 2017 category a01 and the cwe top 25 most dangerous software weaknesses. Organizations should also conduct thorough security assessments of their custom applications that utilize similar history tracking mechanisms to prevent similar vulnerabilities from existing in their codebase.