CVE-2018-18832 – CVE-2018-18832 is a SQL injection vulnerability... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2018-18832?

CVE-2018-18832 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (CRITICAL). CVE-2018-18832 is a SQL injection vulnerability in DKCMS 9.4 that allows attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the ASPSESSIONID cookie in the admin interface. This affects all DKCMS 9.4 installations with the default configuration. Attackers can potentially gain administrative access, steal data, or compromise the entire system.

📋 TL;DR

CVE-2018-18832 is a SQL injection vulnerability in DKCMS 9.4 that allows attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the ASPSESSIONID cookie in the admin interface. This affects all DKCMS 9.4 installations with the default configuration. Attackers can potentially gain administrative access, steal data, or compromise the entire system.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

DKCMS

Versions: 9.4

Operating Systems: Windows, Linux

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Affects all installations of DKCMS 9.4 regardless of configuration. The vulnerability is in the core admin/check.asp file.

📦 What is this software?

Dkcms by Dkcms

View all CVEs affecting Dkcms →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete system compromise including database takeover, data exfiltration, and potential remote code execution leading to full server control.

🟠

Likely Case

Administrative account takeover, database manipulation, and sensitive data theft from the CMS database.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact with proper input validation and database permissions, potentially only error messages or partial data exposure.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - The vulnerability is in the admin interface which is typically internet-facing for CMS systems, allowing remote exploitation.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - If the admin interface is restricted to internal networks only, risk is reduced but still significant for authenticated internal users.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: LOW

Exploitation requires sending specially crafted ASPSESSIONID cookies to the vulnerable endpoint. Public proof-of-concept documentation exists.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Unknown

Vendor Advisory: Not available

Restart Required: No

Instructions:

No official patch available. Consider upgrading to a newer version of DKCMS if available, or implement workarounds.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Input Validation for ASPSESSIONID

all

Add server-side validation to sanitize ASPSESSIONID cookie values before processing in admin/check.asp

Modify admin/check.asp to include input validation: SessionID = Replace(Request.Cookies("ASPSESSIONID"), "'", "''")

Web Application Firewall Rules

all

Implement WAF rules to block SQL injection patterns in cookie values

Add WAF rule: Block requests with ASPSESSIONID containing SQL keywords like UNION, SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, DROP, OR, AND

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Restrict access to admin interface using IP whitelisting or VPN
Implement database user with minimal permissions (read-only where possible)

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Test by sending a crafted ASPSESSIONID cookie with SQL injection payload to /admin/check.asp and observing database errors or unexpected behavior

Check Version:

Check DKCMS version in admin panel or review installation files for version indicators

Verify Fix Applied:

Attempt the same SQL injection test after implementing fixes - should receive proper error handling or rejection

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Multiple failed login attempts with unusual ASPSESSIONID values
Database error messages in web server logs containing SQL syntax

Network Indicators:

Unusual SQL keywords in cookie headers
Repeated requests to admin/check.asp with varying ASPSESSIONID values

SIEM Query:

source="web_server" AND (uri="/admin/check.asp" OR uri="/admin/admin.asp") AND (cookie="*UNION*" OR cookie="*SELECT*" OR cookie="*INSERT*")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2018-18832

CVSS v3 Score: 9.8 (CRITICAL)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-89

Published: October 30, 2018

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

https://blog.whiterabbitxyj.com/cve/DKCMS_9.4_sql_injection.doc Exploit,Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/WhiteRabbitc/WhiteRabbitc.github.io/blob/master/cve/DKCMS_9.4_sql_injection.doc Exploit,Third Party Advisory
https://blog.whiterabbitxyj.com/cve/DKCMS_9.4_sql_injection.doc Exploit,Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/WhiteRabbitc/WhiteRabbitc.github.io/blob/master/cve/DKCMS_9.4_sql_injection.doc Exploit,Third Party Advisory

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