CVE-2018-5978
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2018-5978 is a SQL injection vulnerability in Facebook Style Php Ajax Chat Zechat 1.5 that allows attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the login.php User field. This affects all users running the vulnerable version of this chat software, potentially compromising the underlying database.
💻 Affected Systems
- Facebook Style Php Ajax Chat Zechat
📦 What is this software?
Zechat by Zechat Project
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete database compromise leading to data theft, authentication bypass, remote code execution, or full system takeover.
Likely Case
Database information disclosure, session hijacking, or unauthorized access to chat data and user credentials.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper input validation and parameterized queries preventing SQL injection.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploit code is publicly available and requires no authentication. Simple SQL injection via login form.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Unknown - No official patch documented
Vendor Advisory: No official vendor advisory found
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Upgrade to a newer version if available. 2. Apply manual code fixes to implement parameterized queries. 3. Replace vulnerable login.php with secure implementation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input Validation and Sanitization
allAdd input validation and sanitization to the User field in login.php
Edit login.php to add: $user = mysqli_real_escape_string($connection, $_POST['user']);
Web Application Firewall (WAF)
allDeploy WAF rules to block SQL injection patterns
Configure WAF to block SQL injection patterns in login requests
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Isolate the chat application in a segmented network zone
- Implement strict network access controls and monitor for SQL injection attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Test login.php with SQL injection payloads like: ' OR '1'='1Check Version:
Check chat software version in configuration files or admin panelVerify Fix Applied:
Attempt SQL injection after fixes and verify proper error handling and rejection📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- SQL syntax errors in application logs
- Unusual login attempts with special characters
- Multiple failed login attempts with SQL patterns
Network Indicators:
- HTTP POST requests to login.php containing SQL keywords
- Unusual database connection patterns from web server
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND uri="/login.php" AND (request CONTAINS "OR" OR request CONTAINS "UNION" OR request CONTAINS "SELECT")