CVE-2018-20779
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2018-20779 is a critical SQL injection vulnerability in Traq ticketing system that allows attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands through the search parameter. This affects all Traq 3.7.1 installations, potentially compromising the entire database. System administrators running vulnerable versions should patch immediately.
💻 Affected Systems
- Traq
📦 What is this software?
Traq by Traq
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete database compromise including data theft, data manipulation, privilege escalation, and potential remote code execution through database functions.
Likely Case
Unauthorized data access, extraction of sensitive information (user credentials, tickets, configurations), and potential authentication bypass.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper input validation, parameterized queries, and web application firewall rules blocking SQL injection patterns.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploit code is publicly available on Packet Storm Security. Attack requires no authentication and uses simple SQL injection techniques.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 3.7.2 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://traq.io/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Backup your Traq installation and database. 2. Download Traq 3.7.2 or later from official source. 3. Replace vulnerable files with patched version. 4. Verify search functionality works without SQL errors.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
WAF Rule Implementation
allImplement web application firewall rules to block SQL injection patterns in search parameter
# Example ModSecurity rule: SecRule ARGS:search "@detectSQLi" "id:1001,phase:2,deny,status:403"
Input Validation Filter
allAdd input validation to sanitize search parameter before processing
# PHP example: $search = preg_replace('/[^a-zA-Z0-9\s]/', '', $_GET['search']);
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable search functionality entirely by removing or restricting access to tickets?search endpoint
- Implement strict network segmentation and limit access to Traq instance only to trusted users
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Test search parameter with SQL injection payload: tickets?search=' OR '1'='1Check Version:
Check Traq version in admin panel or view source for version informationVerify Fix Applied:
Test same payload after patch - should return normal search results or error message without SQL execution📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual SQL queries in database logs
- Multiple failed login attempts following search requests
- Search parameters containing SQL keywords (UNION, SELECT, INSERT)
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests to tickets?search= with SQL injection patterns
- Unusual database traffic from web server
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND uri="*tickets?search=*" AND (search="*UNION*" OR search="*SELECT*" OR search="*INSERT*")