CVE-2018-6395
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows SQL injection attacks through the id parameter in Visual Calendar 3.1.3 for Joomla! when processing view=load actions. Attackers can execute arbitrary SQL commands, potentially compromising the database. All Joomla! installations using Visual Calendar 3.1.3 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Visual Calendar component for Joomla!
📦 What is this software?
Visual Calendar by Joomlacalendars
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete database compromise including data theft, modification, or deletion; potential privilege escalation to administrative access; possible remote code execution if database permissions allow.
Likely Case
Unauthorized data access and extraction from the database, including user credentials, personal information, and application data.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper input validation and parameterized queries preventing SQL injection.
🎯 Exploit Status
Public exploit code is available, making this easily exploitable by attackers with basic SQL injection knowledge.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Update to Visual Calendar version 3.1.4 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://extensions.joomla.org/extension/visual-calendar/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into Joomla! administrator panel. 2. Navigate to Extensions > Manage > Update. 3. Check for Visual Calendar updates. 4. If update available, install it. 5. Alternatively, download latest version from Joomla! Extensions Directory and install manually.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input Validation Filter
allImplement input validation to sanitize the id parameter before processing
Modify component code to validate id parameter as integer using is_numeric() or similar validation
WAF Rule
allDeploy web application firewall rules to block SQL injection patterns
Add WAF rule to detect and block SQL injection attempts in id parameter
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable Visual Calendar component entirely if not required
- Implement network segmentation to restrict access to affected systems
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Joomla! Extensions > Components to see if Visual Calendar 3.1.3 is installedCheck Version:
Check Joomla! administrator panel under Extensions > Manage > Manage for Visual Calendar versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify Visual Calendar version is 3.1.4 or later in Extensions > Manage📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual SQL error messages in Joomla! logs
- Multiple requests with SQL injection patterns in id parameter
- Unexpected database queries from web application
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing SQL keywords (SELECT, UNION, etc.) in id parameter
- Abnormal traffic patterns to calendar-related endpoints
SIEM Query:
web.url:*view=load* AND (web.uri:*id=*SELECT* OR web.uri:*id=*UNION* OR web.uri:*id=*OR*)