Summary
SuiteCRM's email template attachment handling builds a database update from the remove_attachment request parameter without safely separating data from SQL code. An authenticated attacker may exploit this behavior to disclose database information or soft-delete records in the notes table.
SuiteCRM's email template attachment handling builds a database update from the remove_attachment request parameter without safely separating data from SQL code. An authenticated attacker may exploit this behavior to disclose database information or soft-delete records in the notes table.
Affected context
The issue affects SuiteCRM email template attachment handling in versions before 7.15.2 and 8.10.2. It occurs when the remove_attachment POST parameter is processed and its elements are interpolated into an SQL UPDATE statement; the parameter's HTML-oriented securexss() processing does not provide SQL-specific protection.
The issue affects SuiteCRM email template attachment handling in versions before 7.15.2 and 8.10.2. It occurs when the remove_attachment POST parameter is processed and its elements are interpolated into an SQL UPDATE statement; the parameter's HTML-oriented securexss() processing does not provide SQL-specific protection.
Exploit preconditions
- Attack surface: The email template attachment handling request.
- Required access: An authenticated SuiteCRM account able to reach the affected functionality.
- Trigger point: Processing of the
remove_attachmentPOST parameter. - Why exploitation is possible: Parameter values are interpolated into SQL without safe parameter binding, allowing input to alter the statement's meaning.
- Attack surface: The email template attachment handling request.
- Required access: An authenticated SuiteCRM account able to reach the affected functionality.
- Trigger point: Processing of the
remove_attachmentPOST parameter. - Why exploitation is possible: Parameter values are interpolated into SQL without safe parameter binding, allowing input to alter the statement's meaning.
Why this happens
The application treats request data as safe for SQL after applying HTML-oriented XSS processing, then directly incorporates that data into an UPDATE statement. HTML escaping does not prevent SQL syntax from being interpreted by the database. This is CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection').
The application treats request data as safe for SQL after applying HTML-oriented XSS processing, then directly incorporates that data into an UPDATE statement. HTML escaping does not prevent SQL syntax from being interpreted by the database. This is CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection').
Potential impact
- An attacker may disclose information stored in the database.
- An attacker could abuse the UPDATE context to soft-delete records in the notes table.
- Unauthorized data changes could affect CRM data integrity and availability.
- An attacker may disclose information stored in the database.
- An attacker could abuse the UPDATE context to soft-delete records in the notes table.
- Unauthorized data changes could affect CRM data integrity and availability.
General mitigation guidance
Defensive patterns focus on keeping untrusted input separate from SQL structure:
- Use parameterized queries or prepared statements for database operations.
- Validate request values against an expected schema and allowlist of identifiers.
- Do not rely on HTML or XSS sanitization as a substitute for SQL-safe handling.
- Limit database account privileges to only the operations and tables the feature requires.
- Apply authorization checks and review the impact of bulk update behavior.
Defensive patterns focus on keeping untrusted input separate from SQL structure:
- Use parameterized queries or prepared statements for database operations.
- Validate request values against an expected schema and allowlist of identifiers.
- Do not rely on HTML or XSS sanitization as a substitute for SQL-safe handling.
- Limit database account privileges to only the operations and tables the feature requires.
- Apply authorization checks and review the impact of bulk update behavior.
How teams detect issues like this
- Use static analysis to identify SQL statements assembled through string interpolation or concatenation with request data.
- Review code paths that pass POST parameters through HTML sanitizers before database operations.
- Check that database calls use parameter binding and that update operations are constrained to intended records.
- Enforce code-review or CI policies that flag dynamic SQL construction involving untrusted input.
- Use static analysis to identify SQL statements assembled through string interpolation or concatenation with request data.
- Review code paths that pass POST parameters through HTML sanitizers before database operations.
- Check that database calls use parameter binding and that update operations are constrained to intended records.
- Enforce code-review or CI policies that flag dynamic SQL construction involving untrusted input.
