CVE-2020-19165
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2020-19165 is a critical SQL injection vulnerability in PHPSHE 1.7 that allows attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the userlevel_id[] parameter in admin.php. This affects all PHPSHE 1.7 installations with admin access enabled. Attackers can potentially read, modify, or delete database content.
💻 Affected Systems
- PHPSHE
📦 What is this software?
Phpshe by Phpshe
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete database compromise leading to data theft, data destruction, authentication bypass, and potential remote code execution via database functions.
Likely Case
Unauthorized data access, privilege escalation, and potential administrative account takeover.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper input validation and parameterized queries are implemented.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires access to the admin interface but SQL injection payloads are simple and well-documented.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Version 1.8 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/Mint60/PHP/issues/1
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Backup your database and application files. 2. Download PHPSHE 1.8 or later from the official repository. 3. Replace vulnerable files with patched versions. 4. Test functionality after update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input Validation Filter
allAdd input validation to sanitize userlevel_id parameter before processing
Modify admin.php to add: $userlevel_id = intval($_GET['userlevel_id']);
WAF Rule
allImplement web application firewall rules to block SQL injection patterns
Add WAF rule: Detect and block requests containing SQL keywords in userlevel_id parameter
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict access to admin.php using IP whitelisting or network segmentation
- Implement strict database user permissions with read-only access where possible
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Test by sending a SQL injection payload to admin.php?mod=user&userlevel_id[]=1' OR '1'='1Check Version:
Check PHPSHE version in configuration files or admin panelVerify Fix Applied:
Attempt the same SQL injection test after patching - should return error or no data📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- SQL syntax errors in web server logs
- Unusual database queries from admin.php
- Multiple failed login attempts followed by admin.php access
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests to admin.php with SQL keywords in parameters
- Unusual database connection patterns
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND uri="*admin.php*" AND (param="*userlevel_id*" AND value="*' OR *" OR value="*UNION*" OR value="*SELECT*" OR value="*INSERT*")