CVE-2022-28034
📋 TL;DR
AtomCMS 2.0 contains a SQL injection vulnerability in the admin_ajax_list-sort.php file that allows attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands. This affects all AtomCMS 2.0 installations with admin panel access. Attackers can potentially access, modify, or delete database content.
💻 Affected Systems
- AtomCMS
📦 What is this software?
Atomcms by Thedigitalcraft
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete database compromise leading to data theft, data destruction, or full system takeover via subsequent attacks.
Likely Case
Unauthorized database access allowing extraction of sensitive information like user credentials, content, or configuration data.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper input validation and parameterized queries are implemented.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated admin access but uses simple SQL injection techniques.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Not available
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/thedigicraft/Atom.CMS/issues/261
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Review the GitHub issue for community patches. 2. Manually implement parameterized queries in admin_ajax_list-sort.php. 3. Validate and sanitize all user inputs before database queries.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input Validation Implementation
allAdd strict input validation to filter and sanitize parameters before SQL execution.
# Edit admin_ajax_list-sort.php to validate sort parameters
# Example: if(!preg_match('/^[a-zA-Z_]+$/', $_POST['sort'])) { die('Invalid input'); }
WAF Rule Implementation
allDeploy web application firewall rules to block SQL injection patterns targeting the vulnerable endpoint.
# ModSecurity rule example: SecRule ARGS "@detectSQLi" "id:1001,phase:2,deny"
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict admin panel access to trusted IP addresses only
- Monitor database logs for unusual query patterns and failed login attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Test the /admin/atom.CMS_admin_ajax_list-sort.php endpoint with SQL injection payloads in sort parameters.Check Version:
Check AtomCMS version in configuration files or admin panel footer.Verify Fix Applied:
Verify that parameterized queries are implemented and test with SQL injection payloads that should be rejected.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual SQL queries in database logs
- Multiple failed login attempts followed by admin panel access
- Requests to admin_ajax_list-sort.php with suspicious parameters
Network Indicators:
- HTTP POST requests to admin endpoints containing SQL keywords like UNION, SELECT, INSERT
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND uri="*admin_ajax_list-sort.php*" AND (param="*UNION*" OR param="*SELECT*" OR param="*INSERT*")