CVE-2024-37225 in Zoho Marketing Automation Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 07/09/2024
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability in Zoho Marketing Automation.This issue affects Zoho Marketing Automation: from n/a through 1.2.7.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/03/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-37225 represents a critical SQL injection flaw within Zoho Marketing Automation software, specifically impacting versions ranging from the initial release through 1.2.7. This vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-89, which classifies SQL injection as a persistent and dangerous weakness that allows attackers to manipulate database queries through malicious input. The flaw resides in the application's improper neutralization of special elements used in SQL commands, creating an avenue for unauthorized database access and potential data compromise. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by injecting malicious SQL code through input fields that are not properly sanitized or validated, thereby bypassing intended security controls and executing unauthorized database operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a failure in input validation and query parameterization within the Zoho Marketing Automation platform. When user-supplied data is directly incorporated into SQL queries without adequate sanitization or prepared statement usage, the system becomes susceptible to malicious injection attacks. The vulnerability specifically affects the SQL command execution flow where special characters and control sequences are not properly escaped or filtered, allowing attackers to manipulate the intended database query structure. This weakness enables attackers to perform various malicious activities including data extraction, modification, or deletion, potentially leading to complete database compromise. The impact is particularly severe given that this vulnerability affects a marketing automation platform which likely handles sensitive customer data, campaign information, and business-critical analytics.
From an operational standpoint, this SQL injection vulnerability presents significant risks to organizations using Zoho Marketing Automation, as it could enable attackers to gain unauthorized access to customer databases containing personal information, contact details, and marketing campaign data. The exploitation of this vulnerability could result in data breaches, regulatory compliance violations, and substantial financial losses. According to the MITRE ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to technique T1071.004 for Application Layer Protocol: DNS and T1190 for Exploit Public-Facing Application, highlighting the attack vectors and methods that adversaries would employ to leverage this weakness. Organizations may face reputational damage, legal consequences, and increased security monitoring requirements following such an incident. The vulnerability's persistence across multiple versions indicates a fundamental flaw in the application's security architecture that requires immediate attention and remediation.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest patches provided by Zoho, implementing proper input validation and parameterized queries, and conducting comprehensive security assessments of their marketing automation systems. The recommended approach involves deploying web application firewalls, implementing database access controls, and establishing robust monitoring mechanisms to detect potential exploitation attempts. Security teams should also perform thorough code reviews and penetration testing to identify similar vulnerabilities within their infrastructure. Additionally, implementing principle of least privilege access controls for database connections and regular security training for development teams can help prevent future occurrences of such vulnerabilities. Organizations should also consider adopting automated security scanning tools to continuously monitor for SQL injection patterns and other common web application vulnerabilities in their deployed systems.