phpMyFAQ has Authenticated SQL Injection in Configuration Update Functionality

QFinch assessment

An authenticated SQL injection vulnerability in the main configuration update functionality of phpMyFAQ (v4.0.13 and prior) allows a privileged user with 'Configuration Edit' permissions to execute arbitrary SQL commands. Successful exploitation can lead to a full compromise of the database, including reading, modifying, or deleting all data, as well as potential remote code execution depending on the database configuration.

Technical context

The vulnerability exists in the save method within the src/phpMyFAQ/Controller/Administration/ConfigurationTabController.php controller. This method handles the saving of application-wide configuration settings. It retrieves all submitted form data as an associative array via $request->get('edit'). The core of the issue is that while the values of this array are processed, the keys are trusted implicitly and are not sanitized or validated. File: src/phpMyFAQ/Controller/Administration/ConfigurationTabController.php The $newConfigValues array, which contains user-controlled keys, is then passed to the update method in the src/phpMyFAQ/Configuration.php model. Here, the key ($name) is directly concatenated into a raw SQL query string. File: src/phpMyFAQ/Configuration.php An attacker can craft a malicious form parameter name (which becomes the array key) to break out of the single quotes in the WHERE clause and inject arbitrary SQL commands.