CVE-2019-25696

Executive Summary

CVE-2019-25696 is an unauthenticated SQL injection vulnerability in the Kados R10 GreenBee application. The flaw exists in the language_tag parameter, allowing remote attackers to inject arbitrary SQL commands without authentication. This can lead to full database compromise, including extraction of sensitive data, modification of records, or potential lateral movement within the network. No official patch or public exploit code has been released, making this a high-risk unpatched vulnerability.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability is not related to any open-source package manager (NPM, PyPI, Go, Ruby). It affects a proprietary embedded system (Kados R10 GreenBee). No supply chain attack vector is identified.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Score: 0.0 (No official vector assigned)
• Threat Level: Critical (based on impact and lack of patch)
• Attack Vector: Network
• Attack Complexity: Low
• Privileges Required: None
• User Interaction: None
• Scope: Unchanged
• Confidentiality Impact: High
• Integrity Impact: High
• Availability Impact: High

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability resides in the language_tag parameter, likely used for internationalization (i18n) features. The application fails to sanitize or parameterize user input before constructing SQL queries. An attacker can inject SQL statements by sending a crafted HTTP request to the vulnerable endpoint.

Example vulnerable request:

GET /index.php?language_tag=1' OR '1'='1' -- 

This would cause the application to execute a query like:

SELECT * FROM languages WHERE tag = '1' OR '1'='1' -- '

The injection point is unauthenticated, meaning no session or credentials are required. The database backend is likely MySQL or PostgreSQL, based on typical embedded system configurations.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Since no patch is available, we can only describe the vulnerable pattern.

Vulnerable Code (PHP-like pseudocode):

$lang = $_GET['language_tag'];
$query = "SELECT * FROM languages WHERE tag = '$lang'";
$result = mysqli_query($conn, $query);

Patched Code (hypothetical):

$lang = $_GET['language_tag'];
$stmt = $conn->prepare("SELECT * FROM languages WHERE tag = ?");
$stmt->bind_param("s", $lang);
$stmt->execute();
$result = $stmt->get_result();

The fix requires parameterized queries (prepared statements) and input validation.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team

Lab Setup:

1. Deploy Kados R10 GreenBee in a virtualized environment (e.g., using QEMU or a dedicated appliance image).
2. Ensure the web interface is accessible on port 80/443.
3. Use a tool like Burp Suite or curl to interact with the application.

Exploitation Steps:

1. Identify the vulnerable endpoint (e.g., /index.php?language_tag=).
2. Test for SQL injection with a simple payload:

   curl "http://target/index.php?language_tag=1'"
   

3. If an error is returned, confirm injection with:

   curl "http://target/index.php?language_tag=1' OR '1'='1"
   

4. Extract database information using UNION-based injection:

   ' UNION SELECT 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 --
   

5. Enumerate tables and columns:

   ' UNION SELECT 1,table_name,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 FROM information_schema.tables --
   

No public exploit code is available for this CVE.

Blue Team

Detection:

• Monitor for anomalous SQL error messages in web server logs.
• Look for requests containing SQL keywords (UNION, SELECT, OR, --) in the language_tag parameter.
• Use WAF rules to block common SQL injection patterns.

Hunting:

• Search for HTTP requests with language_tag containing single quotes (') or SQL comments (--).
• Correlate with database error logs showing syntax errors.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network:
  • HTTP requests with language_tag containing SQL syntax (e.g., ' OR '1'='1, UNION SELECT).
  • Outbound database connections from the web server to unusual IPs.
• Host:
  • Web server logs with SQL error messages (e.g., You have an error in your SQL syntax).
  • Unexpected database queries in database logs.
• File:
  • Modified or extracted database dump files on the server.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2019_25696_SQLi_Detection {
    meta:
        description = "Detects SQL injection attempts targeting Kados R10 GreenBee language_tag parameter"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        cve = "CVE-2019-25696"
    strings:
        $sqli1 = "language_tag="
        $sqli2 = "' OR '"
        $sqli3 = "UNION SELECT"
        $sqli4 = "1=1"
        $sqli5 = "--"
    condition:
        any of ($sqli*) and #sqli1 > 0
}

Sigma Rule

title: SQL Injection Attempt Against Kados R10 GreenBee
id: 8a9b7c6d-5e4f-3a2b-1c0d-9e8f7a6b5c4d
status: experimental
description: Detects SQL injection attempts in the language_tag parameter
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        cs-uri-query|contains:
            - "language_tag='"
            - "language_tag=%27"
            - "language_tag=1'"
            - "language_tag=1%27"
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of single quotes in language tags (unlikely)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2019-25696 SQL Injection Attempt"; flow:to_server,established; content:"language_tag="; nocase; content:"'"; distance:0; within:100; pcre:"/language_tag=[^&]*['\"]/i"; classtype:web-application-attack; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Isolate the Kados R10 GreenBee device from untrusted networks (e.g., place behind a firewall with strict ACLs).
2. Disable the vulnerable endpoint if not required for business operations.
3. Apply a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule to block SQL injection patterns in the language_tag parameter.

Long-term Fix:

• Contact the vendor (Kados) for an official patch or firmware update.
• If no patch is available, consider replacing the device with a supported alternative.
• Implement input validation and parameterized queries in any custom code interacting with the device.

Compensating Controls:

• Monitor logs for exploitation attempts.
• Use network segmentation to limit lateral movement.
• Enable database query logging to detect unauthorized data access.

Valters IT

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