CVE-2021-38723
📋 TL;DR
FUEL CMS 1.5.0 contains a SQL injection vulnerability in the 'col' parameter of the /fuel/index.php/fuel/pages/items endpoint. This allows attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands on the database. All systems running FUEL CMS 1.5.0 with the vulnerable endpoint accessible are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- FUEL CMS
📦 What is this software?
Fuel Cms by Thedaylightstudio
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete database compromise including data theft, data manipulation, privilege escalation, and potential remote code execution via database functions.
Likely Case
Database information disclosure, data manipulation, and potential authentication bypass.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper input validation and parameterized queries in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authentication to access the vulnerable endpoint. The vulnerability is well-documented in public repositories.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.5.1 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/daylightstudio/FUEL-CMS/issues/583
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Backup your database and application files. 2. Download FUEL CMS 1.5.1 or later from the official repository. 3. Replace the vulnerable files with the patched version. 4. Verify the fix by testing the vulnerable endpoint.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input Validation Filter
allAdd input validation to sanitize the 'col' parameter before processing.
Modify /fuel/modules/fuel/controllers/pages.php to validate the 'col' parameter
Access Restriction
allRestrict access to the /fuel/index.php/fuel/pages/items endpoint using web server rules.
Add appropriate .htaccess rules or web server configuration to limit access
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block SQL injection patterns in the 'col' parameter.
- Restrict network access to the FUEL CMS admin interface to trusted IP addresses only.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if running FUEL CMS version 1.5.0 and test the /fuel/index.php/fuel/pages/items endpoint with SQL injection payloads in the 'col' parameter.Check Version:
Check the fuel_version.php file or the admin dashboard for version information.Verify Fix Applied:
After patching, test the same endpoint with SQL injection payloads to confirm they are properly sanitized or rejected.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual SQL queries in database logs
- Multiple failed login attempts followed by access to /fuel/pages/items
- Requests with suspicious 'col' parameter values containing SQL keywords
Network Indicators:
- HTTP POST/GET requests to /fuel/index.php/fuel/pages/items with SQL injection patterns in parameters
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND uri="/fuel/index.php/fuel/pages/items" AND (col="*UNION*" OR col="*SELECT*" OR col="*INSERT*" OR col="*DELETE*")