CVE-2022-51023 in PHPOK
Summary
by MITRE • 10/22/2026
PHPOK 4.5.000 before 5.4.081 contains an SQL injection vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to manipulate ORDER BY clauses via the sort parameter. Attackers can send GET requests to /api.php?c=project&f=index with extractvalue payloads in sort to extract database information through error messages. Exploitation evidence was first observed by the Shadowserver Foundation on 2023-10-14.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/22/2026
PHPOK version 4.5.000 prior to release 5.4.081 is susceptible to a critical SQL injection vulnerability that stems from improper validation and sanitization of user-supplied input within the application's API endpoint. The specific point of failure occurs in the handling of the sort parameter, which is intended to dictate the ordering of database query results but fails to adequately restrict or escape special characters before being incorporated into the underlying Structured Query Language statement. This flaw allows unauthenticated remote attackers to inject arbitrary SQL commands directly into the ORDER BY clause of a database query executed by the application server. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it does not require any form of authentication, enabling any internet user with network access to exploit this weakness without prior credentials or session tokens.
The technical mechanism of exploitation involves crafting malicious GET requests directed at the /api.php endpoint with the c=project and f=index parameters set appropriately for the target functionality. By injecting specific payloads into the sort parameter, attackers can manipulate the database engine's behavior during query execution. A common technique observed in real-world attacks utilizes extractvalue functions to force the database server to return error messages that contain data from the underlying tables. When the injected SQL syntax causes a parsing or type conversion error within the MySQL database, the resulting error message often includes fragments of the queried data, such as table names, column definitions, or even sensitive content stored in those fields. This technique effectively turns standard application errors into a vector for extracting structured information from the backend database without needing to bypass traditional input filters that might block more obvious injection patterns like UNION SELECT statements.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe, potentially leading to full compromise of the underlying data infrastructure. An attacker can systematically enumerate the entire database schema by iteratively querying system tables such as INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES and INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS. Once the structure is mapped, sensitive information including user credentials, personal identifiable information, financial records, or proprietary business logic stored within PHPOK-managed projects can be exfiltrated. The presence of this vulnerability in a widely used content management framework means that any instance running an affected version is at immediate risk of data breach and integrity loss. Furthermore, the ability to extract database metadata facilitates further attacks, such as privilege escalation or lateral movement if additional services are accessible from the same network segment hosting the vulnerable application server.
Evidence of active exploitation for this vulnerability was first documented by the Shadowserver Foundation on October 14, 2023, indicating that threat actors have already developed and deployed automated tools to target unpatched instances across the internet. This real-world activity underscores the urgency of remediation efforts. The flaw aligns with CWE-89 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command which is a prevalent category of injection vulnerabilities affecting web applications globally. From a tactical perspective, this exploitation technique maps to MITRE ATT&CK techniques related to Database Discovery and Data from Information Repositories, as attackers leverage the application interface to probe internal data stores for valuable intelligence.
To mitigate this risk, administrators must immediately upgrade PHPOK installations to version 5.4.081 or later where these input validation checks have been corrected. Until an upgrade is feasible, implementing a Web Application Firewall rule that detects and blocks SQL injection patterns within the sort parameter of API requests can provide temporary protection against automated exploitation attempts. Additionally, applying the principle of least privilege to the database user account used by PHPOK limits the potential damage if an injection succeeds; restricting permissions so the application cannot access system tables or perform administrative operations reduces the effectiveness of extractvalue-based data exfiltration techniques. Regular security audits and code reviews focusing on dynamic SQL construction are also recommended to prevent similar vulnerabilities in custom modules or extensions that may interact with the core framework's database layer.