CVE-2020-28860 in Asset Management
Summary
by MITRE • 12/15/2020
OpenAssetDigital Asset Management (DAM) through 12.0.19 does not correctly sanitize user supplied input, incorporating it into its SQL queries, allowing for authenticated blind SQL injection.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/17/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-28860 affects OpenAsset Digital Asset Management versions up to 12.0.19, representing a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of the application's database interactions. This issue stems from insufficient input validation mechanisms within the software's query construction processes, creating a pathway for malicious actors to manipulate database operations through carefully crafted user inputs. The vulnerability specifically manifests in the application's handling of user-supplied data within SQL query contexts, where proper sanitization procedures fail to prevent potentially harmful input from being directly incorporated into database commands.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the application's failure to properly escape or parameterize user-provided data before incorporating it into SQL statements. When authenticated users submit data that subsequently gets processed through database queries, the system does not adequately validate or sanitize this input, allowing for injection attacks to occur. This blind SQL injection vulnerability operates without direct output feedback, meaning attackers must rely on indirect methods to determine whether their injected commands have been successful. The flaw aligns with CWE-89, which categorizes improper neutralization of special elements used in SQL commands as a fundamental weakness in application security design. This weakness enables attackers to manipulate database queries and potentially extract sensitive information, modify data, or even execute administrative commands on the underlying database system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data integrity concerns, as it provides attackers with significant privileges within the digital asset management environment. An authenticated attacker with access to the application can leverage this vulnerability to perform unauthorized database operations, potentially gaining access to confidential digital assets, user credentials, or system configuration details. The blind nature of the injection means that attackers must employ time-based or error-based techniques to confirm successful exploitation, making the attack more sophisticated but not necessarily more difficult to execute. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations that rely heavily on digital asset management systems for storing sensitive corporate information, media files, and intellectual property. The potential for data exfiltration and system compromise makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where digital asset management platforms serve as central repositories for critical business information.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2020-28860 should prioritize immediate patch application from the vendor, as this represents the most effective defense against the specific vulnerability. Organizations should also implement additional defensive measures including input validation at multiple layers of the application architecture, implementation of prepared statements or parameterized queries, and regular security assessments of database interactions. Network segmentation and access controls can help limit the potential impact of successful exploitation by restricting unauthorized access to the vulnerable application. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing to ensure that the patch does not introduce regressions in application functionality while also verifying that proper input sanitization mechanisms are now in place. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous database query patterns that might indicate attempted exploitation of similar vulnerabilities. Organizations should also consider implementing database activity monitoring solutions that can alert on suspicious SQL injection attempts and provide detailed audit trails for security incident response activities. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing robust input validation mechanisms as fundamental defensive strategies against database-related injection attacks.