Duplicate Title Validate Vulnerability CVE-2024-49623

Duplicate Title Validate Vulnerability

CVE-2024-49623 is a recently disclosed vulnerability affecting the Duplicate Title Validate plugin developed by Hasan Movahed. This vulnerability, categorized as an SQL Injection flaw, allows for Blind SQL Injection, which can potentially lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data within the database. The issue affects all versions of the plugin up to and including version 1.0.

Vulnerability Details

• CVE ID: CVE-2024-49623
• Severity: High
• Affected Software Version(s): Duplicate Title Validate (all versions up to 1.0)
• Published Date: October 20, 2024

Description

The vulnerability stems from improper neutralization of special elements used in SQL commands. This allows attackers to manipulate SQL queries by injecting malicious code through user inputs that are not adequately sanitized. As a result, an authenticated adversary could execute arbitrary SQL commands, potentially leading to data leakage or corruption.

Exploitation Scenario

An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by crafting a request that includes specially formatted input intended to manipulate the SQL query executed by the application. For example, if the application uses user input directly in its SQL statements without proper validation or escaping, an attacker might input:

sql
' OR '1'='1

This input could cause the application to return all records from a database table instead of just the intended results, effectively allowing the attacker to bypass authentication or extract sensitive information.

Impact

The impact of this vulnerability is significant, especially for applications that handle sensitive user data. The ability to perform Blind SQL Injection means that an attacker could infer information about the database structure and contents even without direct feedback from the application. This could lead to further attacks or exploitation of other vulnerabilities within the system.

Mitigation Strategies

To mitigate this vulnerability, developers and administrators should take immediate action:

1. Update Software: Ensure that any instances of Duplicate Title Validate are updated to a patched version if available.
2. Input Validation: Implement stringent input validation and sanitization practices to prevent SQL injection attacks.
3. Use Prepared Statements: Utilize prepared statements or parameterized queries in SQL commands to separate data from code.
4. Regular Audits: Conduct regular security audits and vulnerability assessments on applications to identify and remediate potential vulnerabilities proactively.

Conclusion

CVE-2024-49623 highlights the ongoing challenges posed by SQL injection vulnerabilities in web applications. Organizations using the Duplicate Title Validate plugin must prioritize addressing this issue to safeguard their data integrity and protect against potential exploitation. As always, maintaining best practices in security hygiene is crucial in defending against such vulnerabilities.