CVE-2024-5546 in Password Manager Pro
Summary
by MITRE • 08/28/2024
Zohocorp ManageEngine Password Manager Pro versions before 12431 and ManageEngine PAM360 versions before 7001 are affected by authenticated SQL Injection vulnerability via a global search option.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/20/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-5546 affects ManageEngine Password Manager Pro and PAM360 products, specifically targeting versions prior to 12431 and 7001 respectively. This authenticated SQL injection flaw resides within the global search functionality of these password management solutions, representing a critical security weakness that could enable attackers with valid credentials to execute arbitrary database commands. The vulnerability demonstrates the dangerous intersection of user authentication and database interaction where properly validated input fails to prevent malicious SQL payloads from being processed by the backend database system.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the global search feature which likely processes user input without adequate sanitization or parameterized query construction. When an authenticated user submits search queries through the global search interface, the application fails to properly escape or validate the input before incorporating it into SQL statements. This allows an attacker to inject malicious SQL syntax that can manipulate the database directly, potentially extracting sensitive information, modifying user credentials, or even executing administrative commands on the underlying database server. The vulnerability falls under CWE-89 which specifically addresses SQL injection flaws where untrusted data is incorporated into SQL commands without proper validation or escaping mechanisms.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to organizations relying on ManageEngine password management solutions for critical credential storage and access control. The authenticated nature of the vulnerability means that an attacker would need valid user credentials to exploit the flaw, but this still represents a substantial security gap since it allows for privilege escalation within the application's database layer. The impact extends beyond simple data theft to include potential system compromise, as successful exploitation could enable attackers to access the database directly and potentially escalate their privileges to administrative levels within the application's architecture. This vulnerability directly maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1078 for valid accounts and T1046 for network service scanning, as attackers could use the compromised search functionality to map database structures and extract sensitive information.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including updating to the patched versions 12431 for Password Manager Pro and 7001 for PAM360, which contain proper input validation and parameterized query implementations. Network segmentation and access controls should be reinforced to limit the scope of potential exploitation, while monitoring systems should be configured to detect anomalous search patterns that might indicate attempted exploitation. Database activity monitoring should be implemented to track SQL injection attempts and unauthorized data access patterns. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of their password management infrastructure to identify potential secondary impacts and ensure that all related systems maintain proper authentication boundaries. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining current security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies that protect against both external and internal threats within privileged credential management systems.