[PT-2011-19] SQL injection vulnerability in Help Request System

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 (PT-2011-19) Positive Technologies Security Advisory 

  SQL injection vulnerability in Help Request System

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—[ Vulnerable software ]

            Help Request System
            Version 1.1a and earlier 

            Application link:
            http://freehelpdesk.org/

—[ Severity level ]

            Severity level:                High
            Impact:	                       SQL injection
            Access Vector:                 Remote
            

           CVSS v2:
                   Base Score:     7.5
                   Temporal Score: 5.9
                   Vector:         (AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P/E:P/RL:O/RC:C)

           CVE:   not assigned

—[ Software description ]

Help Desk Software is a simple powerful Help Desk Software solution.

—[ Vulnerability description ]

Positive Research Lab has discovered an SQL injection vulnerability in Help Request System. Application incorrectly validates input data. That allows attackers to conduct SQL injection attack.

"SQL Injection" is a way to bypass network protection and attack the database. Settings transferred to the database through web applications are specially crafted to modify executable SQL query, for example, an attacker could execute additional query with the first one by adding different characters.

The attack can be used to reach the following goals:

1. Obtain access to data which is normally unavailable or obtain system configuration data which can be used for further attacks. For example, modified query may return hashed user passwords which could be decrypted with brute force attack.

—[ How to fix ]

Update your software up to the latest version

—[ Advisory status ]

07.07.2011 - Vendor is notified
15.07.2011 - Vendor gets vulnerability details
16.07.2011 - Vendor releases fixed version and details
24.08.2011 - Public disclosure

—[ Credits ]

The vulnerability was detected by Yuri Goltsev, Positive Research Lab (Positive Technologies Company)

—[ References ]

http://en.securitylab.ru/lab/PT-2011-19

Reports on the vulnerabilities previously discovered by Positive Research:

http://www.ptsecurity.com/advisory1.aspx
http://en.securitylab.ru/lab/

—[ About Positive Technologies ]

Positive Technologies www.ptsecurity.com is among the key players in the IT security market in Russia.

The principal activities of the company include the development of integrated tools for information security monitoring (MaxPatrol); providing IT security consulting services and technical support; development of the Securitylab leading Russian information security portal.

Among the clients of Positive Technologies, there are more than 40 state enterprises, more than 50 banks and financial organizations, 20 telecommunication companies, more than 40 plant facilities, as well as IT, service and retail companies from Russia, the CIS countries, the Baltic States, China, Ecuador, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Iran, Israel, Japan, Mexico, the Republic of South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, and the USA.

Positive Technologies is a team of highly skilled developers, advisers and experts with years of vast hands-on experience. The company specialists possess professional titles and certificates; they are the members of various international societies and are actively involved in the IT security field development.