glFusion 1.3.0 - Blind SQL Injection

Overview #

A critical Blind SQL Injection vulnerability exists in glFusion CMS version 1.3.0, affecting the Media Gallery search functionality. The vulnerability allows unauthenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands and potentially compromise the entire database.

Vulnerability Details #

Affected Versions: 1.3.0 and earlier

Location: /mediagallery/search.php

Affected Parameter: cat_id

Root Cause: The vulnerability exists due to insufficient input validation on the cat_id parameter. User-supplied input is directly concatenated into an SQL query without proper sanitization or parameterized queries, allowing attackers to inject malicious SQL statements.

Exploitation Requirements #

No authentication required
Media Gallery module must be enabled
Direct access to the search endpoint

Impact #

Remote attackers can exploit this vulnerability to:

Extract sensitive data from the database (usernames, passwords, emails)
Bypass authentication mechanisms
Modify or delete database content
Potentially gain administrative access to the CMS

Proof of Concept #

http

POST /mediagallery/search.php HTTP/1.1
Host: target.com
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded

cat_id='+(SELECT 1 FROM (SELECT SLEEP(25))A)+'

Time-based Blind SQL Injection: If the server response is delayed by 25 seconds, the target is vulnerable.

Solution #

Upgrade to glFusion version 1.3.1 or later, which includes proper input sanitization for the affected parameter.

References #

Timeline #

2013-09-05 — First contact
2013-09-06 — Fix released
2013-09-09 — Advisory released

Credits: Omar Kurt