CVE-2021-22847 in HyCMS-J1
Summary
by MITRE • 01/22/2021
Hyweb HyCMS-J1's API fail to filter POST request parameters. Remote attackers can inject SQL syntax and execute commands without privilege.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/19/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-22847 affects Hyweb HyCMS-J1 content management system where the application fails to properly filter or sanitize POST request parameters submitted through its API interface. This represents a critical security flaw that directly impacts the system's input validation mechanisms and exposes the platform to sophisticated attack vectors. The vulnerability stems from inadequate parameter sanitization practices within the application's API processing layer, allowing malicious actors to bypass normal security controls through crafted malicious inputs.
This vulnerability manifests as a classic SQL injection weakness that operates at the application layer, specifically targeting the API endpoints that handle POST requests. The flaw enables attackers to inject malicious SQL syntax directly into the parameter fields, which are then processed by the backend database without proper sanitization. According to CWE classification, this corresponds to CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command, which is one of the most prevalent and dangerous web application vulnerabilities. The attack chain begins with an unfiltered parameter submission, progresses through SQL injection exploitation, and culminates in unauthorized command execution capabilities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, as it provides remote attackers with the ability to execute arbitrary commands on the affected system without requiring any privileged access or authentication. This means that an attacker can potentially gain complete control over the CMS infrastructure, including access to sensitive data, modification of content, user account compromise, and even potential lateral movement within the network. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the system, representing a fundamental breach in the application's security posture. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to TA0002: Execution and TA0006: Credential Access, as attackers can execute commands and potentially extract credentials from the compromised system.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2021-22847 must address both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements. Organizations should implement proper parameter validation and sanitization mechanisms across all API endpoints, utilizing prepared statements or parameterized queries to prevent SQL injection attacks. The application should enforce strict input validation rules that reject or sanitize any potentially malicious characters or sequences before processing user inputs. Additionally, implementing proper access controls, input encoding, and output escaping techniques would significantly reduce the attack surface. Security patches should be applied immediately to address the root cause, while network segmentation and monitoring solutions should be deployed to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. Regular security testing including penetration testing and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in the application's architecture and ensure ongoing protection against similar vulnerabilities.