CVE-2022-28036
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2022-28036 is a critical SQL injection vulnerability in AtomCMS 2.0 that allows attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the Atom.CMS_admin_ajax_navigation.php endpoint. This affects all AtomCMS 2.0 installations, potentially compromising the entire database and application.
💻 Affected Systems
- AtomCMS
📦 What is this software?
Atomcms by Thedigitalcraft
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete database compromise leading to data theft, data manipulation, authentication bypass, and potential remote code execution via database functions.
Likely Case
Database information disclosure, privilege escalation, and unauthorized data access or modification.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper input validation and parameterized queries in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authentication to access the admin panel. The SQL injection is straightforward with publicly available proof-of-concept code.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2.0.1 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/thedigicraft/Atom.CMS/issues/262
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Download the latest version from the official AtomCMS repository. 2. Replace the vulnerable Atom.CMS_admin_ajax_navigation.php file. 3. Ensure all user inputs are properly sanitized in custom code.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input Validation Workaround
allAdd input validation and parameterized queries to the vulnerable endpoint
Edit Atom.CMS_admin_ajax_navigation.php to replace raw SQL queries with prepared statements
Access Restriction
allRestrict access to the vulnerable endpoint
Add IP whitelisting or additional authentication to /admin/Atom.CMS_admin_ajax_navigation.php
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement a web application firewall (WAF) with SQL injection rules
- Disable the vulnerable endpoint if not required for functionality
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if Atom.CMS_admin_ajax_navigation.php exists in the admin directory and contains unsanitized SQL queries with user input.Check Version:
Check the version number in the AtomCMS configuration files or admin panel.Verify Fix Applied:
Verify that the file has been updated with parameterized queries and proper input validation.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual SQL queries in application logs
- Multiple failed login attempts followed by admin panel access
- Suspicious POST requests to Atom.CMS_admin_ajax_navigation.php
Network Indicators:
- SQL syntax in HTTP POST parameters
- Unusual database connection patterns from web server
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND uri="*Atom.CMS_admin_ajax_navigation.php*" AND (param="*SELECT*" OR param="*UNION*" OR param="*OR 1=1*")