CVE-2023-2039 in novel-plus
Summary
by MITRE • 04/14/2023
A vulnerability was found in novel-plus 3.6.2. It has been rated as critical. This issue affects some unknown processing of the file /author/list?limit=10&offset=0&order=desc. The manipulation of the argument sort leads to sql injection. The attack may be initiated remotely. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used. The identifier VDB-225917 was assigned to this vulnerability. NOTE: The vendor was contacted early about this disclosure but did not respond in any way.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/30/2023
This critical vulnerability in novel-plus version 3.6.2 represents a severe sql injection flaw that undermines the application's database security. The vulnerability manifests through the /author/list endpoint where the order parameter becomes a vector for malicious sql payload injection. The flaw occurs when the application fails to properly sanitize or escape user-supplied input before incorporating it into sql query construction, creating an exploitable path for remote attackers to manipulate database operations directly. The specific parameter manipulation involves the sort argument which is processed without adequate input validation, allowing attackers to inject malicious sql code that can be executed within the database context.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows established patterns of sql injection attacks where the attacker manipulates the order parameter to inject sql commands that can extract sensitive data, modify database contents, or even escalate privileges within the database system. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-89 category for sql injection, which is consistently ranked among the top security risks in the OWASP top ten list. The remote exploitation capability means that attackers do not require physical access to the system and can potentially leverage this vulnerability from any network location to compromise the underlying database infrastructure.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as sql injection attacks can enable complete database compromise, leading to unauthorized access to user credentials, personal information, and potentially system-wide privileges. The fact that this vulnerability has been publicly disclosed and is actively being used in the wild significantly increases the risk to affected systems. Organizations running novel-plus 3.6.2 are particularly vulnerable as the attack vector is well-defined and the exploitation methods are readily available in public repositories. The lack of vendor response to early disclosure attempts creates additional risk as there are no official patches or mitigations available from the software vendor, leaving users to implement their own defensive measures.
Security professionals should immediately implement network-level mitigations including firewall rules that restrict access to the vulnerable endpoint, web application firewalls that can detect and block sql injection patterns, and input validation controls that sanitize all user-supplied parameters before they reach the database layer. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper parameterized queries and input sanitization practices that should be enforced throughout the application codebase. Organizations should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify similar patterns in other endpoints and ensure that all database interactions properly utilize prepared statements or parameterized queries. Additionally, monitoring and logging of database access patterns should be enhanced to detect potential exploitation attempts and provide forensic capabilities for incident response activities.