The CVE-2023-27113 vulnerability found in pearProjectApi version 2.8.10 is a serious SQL injection issue that can provide attackers the ability to manipulate and compromise databases. This post will dive into the details surrounding this vulnerability, providing you with an understanding of how the exploit works, the affected code, and how to address the issue.

Vulnerability Details

The SQL injection vulnerability was discovered in the project.php file of the pearProjectApi v2.8.10 system, and it can be exploited through the organizationCode parameter. This parameter is prone to SQL injection attacks, allowing attackers to inject malicious SQL queries that could compromise the sensitive data stored in the target application's database.

Code Snippet

Here is a code snippet from the affected project.php file that demonstrates the issue with the organizationCode parameter:

// project.php
$organizationCode = $_GET['organizationCode'];

$sql = "SELECT * FROM projects WHERE organizationCode = '$organizationCode'"; // (1)

$query = mysqli_query($connection, $sql);

while ($row = mysqli_fetch_assoc($query)) {
    // ...
}

In this snippet, the $organizationCode parameter is captured from the user input at line 1, and it's used directly in the SQL query at line 3. Because there is no input validation or sanitization, an attacker could potentially craft a request that includes malicious SQL code in the organizationCode input, leading to the compromise of the project's data.

An attacker could send a request like this to exploit the SQL injection vulnerability

https://example.com/project.php?organizationCode='; OR '1'='1

In this request, the organizationCode parameter is injected with the malicious SQL query ' OR '1'='1, resulting in the following SQL query being executed:

SELECT * FROM projects WHERE organizationCode = '' OR '1'='1'

This query would return all projects in the database, regardless of their organizationCode, which could lead to information leakage.

Original References

- CVE-2023-27113 in NVD - Provides details about this vulnerability, its description, and severity.

- pearProjectApi GitHub Repository - The official pearProjectApi source code containing the affected version (v2.8.10).

Solution

To fix this vulnerability, the developers should sanitize the organizationCode parameter using prepared statements, or proper input filtering and validation methods. Here's an example of how it can be done using prepared statements in the project.php file:

// project.php
// With mysqli prepared statements
$organizationCode = $_GET['organizationCode'];

$stmt = $connection->prepare("SELECT * FROM projects WHERE organizationCode = ?"); // (1)
$stmt->bind_param("s", $organizationCode);
$stmt->execute();
$results = $stmt->get_result();

while ($row = $results->fetch_assoc()) {
    // ...
}

The mysqli prepared statements provide built-in mechanisms to escape the input data and prevent SQL injection attacks.

Conclusion

CVE-2023-27113 is a serious SQL injection vulnerability found in pearProjectApi v2.8.10. By understanding how the exploit works and the affected code, developers can take steps to address this issue and protect their applications from potential attacks. Fixing this vulnerability by properly sanitizing user inputs and using prepared statements will help ensure the security of your application's data and the integrity of your project.

Timeline

Published on: 01/21/2025 22:15:09 UTC
Last modified on: 03/18/2025 18:15:26 UTC