CVE-2021-28245
📋 TL;DR
PbootCMS 3.0.4 contains a SQL injection vulnerability in the search parameter of index.php that allows attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands. This can lead to unauthorized data access, including sensitive information disclosure and administrative account creation. All users running PbootCMS 3.0.4 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- PbootCMS
📦 What is this software?
Pbootcms by Pbootcms
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete database compromise, administrative account creation leading to full system takeover, sensitive data exfiltration including user credentials and personal information.
Likely Case
Unauthorized data access, administrative account creation leading to website defacement or content manipulation, extraction of user data.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper input validation and WAF rules in place, potentially blocked at application layer.
🎯 Exploit Status
Public proof-of-concept available on GitHub. Exploitation requires minimal technical skill due to simple SQL injection vector.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 3.0.5 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/hnaoyun/PbootCMS
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Backup your current installation and database. 2. Download PbootCMS 3.0.5 or later from the official repository. 3. Replace affected files, particularly index.php and related search functionality. 4. Test the updated installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input Validation Filter
allAdd input validation to sanitize search parameter before processing
Modify index.php to add: $search = preg_replace('/[^a-zA-Z0-9\s]/', '', $_GET['search']);
WAF Rule Implementation
allImplement web application firewall rules to block SQL injection patterns
For ModSecurity: SecRule ARGS:search "@detectSQLi" "id:1001,phase:2,deny,status:403"
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict input validation and parameterized queries in the search functionality
- Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) with SQL injection detection rules
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Test the search parameter with SQL injection payloads like: index.php?search=test' OR '1'='1Check Version:
Check the version in the admin panel or examine the core files for version informationVerify Fix Applied:
Attempt SQL injection payloads after patching; successful queries should be blocked or sanitized📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual SQL queries in application logs
- Multiple failed login attempts from newly created admin accounts
- Search parameters containing SQL keywords (UNION, SELECT, INSERT)
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests with SQL injection payloads in search parameter
- Unusual database connection patterns
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND (search="*UNION*" OR search="*SELECT*" OR search="*INSERT*")