(PT-2011-19) Positive Technologies Security Advisory
SQL injection vulnerability in Help Request System

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
Vector: (AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P)

CVE: not assigned

Software description

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

Vulnerability description

Positive Research Center 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.

An attacker can use the vulnerability to 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 Center (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.