CVE-2020-35245
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2020-35245 is a SQL injection vulnerability in FlamingoIM's UserManager::addUser function that allows attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands. This affects all FlamingoIM deployments through version 2020-09-29. Attackers could potentially compromise the database and gain unauthorized access to sensitive information.
💻 Affected Systems
- Flamingo (FlamingoIM)
📦 What is this software?
Flamingo by Flamingo Project
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete database compromise leading to data theft, data manipulation, authentication bypass, and potential remote code execution through database functions.
Likely Case
Database information disclosure, user account manipulation, and potential privilege escalation within the application.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper input validation, parameterized queries, and database user privilege restrictions in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
SQL injection vulnerabilities are well-understood and easily weaponized. The GitHub issue shows proof of concept exploitation.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Versions after 2020-09-29
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/balloonwj/flamingo/issues/47
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update FlamingoIM to version after 2020-09-29. 2. Review and apply the fix from GitHub issue #47. 3. Restart the FlamingoIM service. 4. Verify the fix by testing the UserManager::addUser function.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input Validation Filter
allImplement strict input validation for user parameters in the addUser function
Implement parameterized queries or prepared statements in the UserManager::addUser function
Database User Privilege Reduction
allReduce database user privileges to minimum required for application functionality
REVOKE unnecessary privileges from the FlamingoIM database user
GRANT only SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE on required tables
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement a web application firewall (WAF) with SQL injection rules
- Disable or restrict access to the vulnerable UserManager::addUser endpoint
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check FlamingoIM version - if it's 2020-09-29 or earlier, it's vulnerable. Test the UserManager::addUser endpoint with SQL injection payloads.Check Version:
Check FlamingoIM version in application configuration or via package managerVerify Fix Applied:
Test the UserManager::addUser function with SQL injection payloads after patching - should return errors or reject malicious input.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual SQL queries in database logs
- Multiple failed addUser attempts with special characters
- Database error messages containing SQL syntax
Network Indicators:
- Unusual patterns in requests to UserManager endpoints
- Requests containing SQL keywords like UNION, SELECT, INSERT
SIEM Query:
source="flamingo_logs" AND (message="*SQL*" OR message="*syntax*" OR message="*addUser*" AND (message="*' OR*" OR message="*UNION*"))