CVE-2020-18263
📋 TL;DR
PHP-CMS v1.0 contains a SQL injection vulnerability in the search.php component via the search parameter. This allows attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands and potentially access sensitive database information. Anyone running PHP-CMS v1.0 is affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- PHP-CMS
📦 What is this software?
Php Cms by Php Cms Project
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete database compromise including user credentials, sensitive content, and potential remote code execution if database permissions allow.
Likely Case
Extraction of sensitive data from database tables, including user information, passwords, and CMS content.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper input validation and parameterized queries preventing SQL injection.
🎯 Exploit Status
SQL injection via GET parameter requires minimal technical skill to exploit.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Not available
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/harshitbansal373/PHP-CMS/issues/1
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Review the GitHub issue for community fixes
2. Manually patch search.php to use parameterized queries
3. Validate and sanitize all user input in search functionality
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input Validation Filter
allAdd input validation to reject malicious search parameters
Add input sanitization in search.php before SQL query execution
WAF Rule
allImplement web application firewall rules to block SQL injection patterns
Configure WAF to detect and block SQL injection attempts in search parameters
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable search functionality completely if not essential
- Implement network segmentation to restrict access to vulnerable system
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Test search functionality with SQL injection payloads like ' OR '1'='1Check Version:
Check PHP-CMS version in configuration files or admin panelVerify Fix Applied:
Test with SQL injection payloads and verify they are rejected or sanitized📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual SQL queries in database logs
- Multiple failed search attempts with special characters
- Long search parameter values
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests with SQL keywords in search parameter
- Unusual patterns in search endpoint traffic
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND uri="/search.php" AND (search="*OR*" OR search="*UNION*" OR search="*SELECT*" OR search="*--*" OR search="*;*")