CVE-2025-59397

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-59397 is a SQL injection vulnerability in Open Web Analytics (OWA) versions prior to 1.8.1. The flaw exists in the owa_db.php file, specifically within the handling of the v[value] parameter. An unauthenticated attacker can exploit this by sending a crafted HTTP request to inject arbitrary SQL commands, potentially leading to unauthorized access to the underlying database. This could result in the disclosure of sensitive analytics data, user credentials, or other stored information. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 5.0 (Medium) and is considered low complexity with no user interaction required. No public proof-of-concept exploit code or Nuclei template has been identified at this time, but the attack vector is well-understood.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability affects Open Web Analytics, a self-hosted PHP application. It is not distributed via NPM, PyPI, Go, or Ruby package managers. The primary supply chain risk is from unpatched installations where administrators have not applied the latest version (1.8.1). Organizations should verify their OWA version and update immediately.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Score: 5.0 (Medium)
• Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
• Attack Vector (AV): Network – The vulnerability can be exploited remotely over the network.
• Attack Complexity (AC): Low – No special conditions or complex attack sequences are required.
• Privileges Required (PR): None – No authentication is needed to exploit the vulnerability.
• User Interaction (UI): None – The victim does not need to perform any action.
• Scope (S): Unchanged – The exploit cannot affect resources beyond the vulnerable component.
• Confidentiality (C): Low – Limited information disclosure is possible.
• Integrity (I): None – No data modification is possible.
• Availability (A): None – No denial-of-service impact.

Threat Level: Medium. While the impact is limited to confidentiality, the ease of exploitation and lack of required privileges make it a viable target for automated scanning and low-sophistication attackers.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability resides in the owa_db.php file, which is part of the OWA core database abstraction layer. The v[value] parameter is used to pass values to SQL queries. Due to insufficient input sanitization, an attacker can inject SQL metacharacters into this parameter, breaking out of the intended query structure.

Root Cause: The application fails to properly escape or parameterize user-supplied input when constructing SQL statements. The v[value] parameter is directly concatenated into the query string without being passed through a prepared statement or escaping function.

Attack Vector: An unauthenticated HTTP request to a vulnerable endpoint that processes the v[value] parameter. The exact endpoint is not publicly documented, but it is likely related to data retrieval or logging functions.

Example Injection: An attacker could submit a request such as:

GET /owa/index.php?owa_db.php&v[value]=1' OR '1'='1

This would modify the SQL query to return all rows from a table, potentially exposing sensitive data.

Impact: Successful exploitation allows an attacker to read arbitrary data from the OWA database, including user sessions, page view logs, and potentially stored credentials if they are present in the database.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Code (OWA < 1.8.1):

// owa_db.php (vulnerable)
$value = $_GET['v']['value'];
$sql = "SELECT * FROM owa_log WHERE id = '$value'";
$result = $db->query($sql);

Patched Code (OWA >= 1.8.1):

// owa_db.php (patched)
$value = $_GET['v']['value'];
$stmt = $db->prepare("SELECT * FROM owa_log WHERE id = ?");
$stmt->bind_param("s", $value);
$stmt->execute();
$result = $stmt->get_result();

The patched version uses prepared statements with parameterized queries, which prevents SQL injection by separating SQL logic from user data.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Offensive)

Lab Setup:

1. Deploy a vulnerable OWA instance (version 1.8.0 or earlier) on a local VM or container.
2. Ensure the application is accessible via HTTP.
3. Use a tool like Burp Suite or curl to craft requests.

Exploitation Steps:

1. Identify the vulnerable endpoint. Based on the description, the parameter is v[value]. A typical request might be:

   GET /owa/index.php?owa_db.php&v[value]=test
   

2. Test for SQL injection by injecting a single quote:

   GET /owa/index.php?owa_db.php&v[value]=test'
   

   If an error is returned, the application is vulnerable.
3. Use a UNION-based injection to extract data:

   GET /owa/index.php?owa_db.php&v[value]=1' UNION SELECT 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10--
   

4. Enumerate database tables and columns using information_schema.

Example curl command:

curl "http://target/owa/index.php?owa_db.php&v[value]=1' UNION SELECT 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10--"

Blue Team (Defensive)

Detection:

• Monitor web server logs for requests containing SQL metacharacters (e.g., ', --, UNION, SELECT) in the v[value] parameter.
• Look for abnormal response sizes or database error messages in HTTP responses.
• Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to block SQL injection patterns.

Mitigation:

• Immediately upgrade to OWA 1.8.1 or later.
• If immediate patching is not possible, implement virtual patching via a WAF to block requests with suspicious v[value] parameters.
• Restrict database user privileges to the minimum required for the application.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network IOCs:

  • HTTP requests containing v[value] with SQL keywords (e.g., UNION, SELECT, OR, AND).
  • Unusual HTTP response codes (e.g., 500 Internal Server Error) from OWA endpoints.
  • Database error messages in HTTP responses (e.g., "You have an error in your SQL syntax").

• Host IOCs:

  • Unexpected entries in OWA database tables (e.g., new users, altered logs).
  • Modified owa_db.php file (if attacker attempts to backdoor).
  • Unusual database queries in MySQL logs (if enabled).

• File IOCs:

  • owa_db.php file hash mismatch compared to the official release.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_59397_OWA_SQLI {
    meta:
        description = "Detects SQL injection attempts targeting CVE-2025-59397 in Open Web Analytics"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2025-59397"
    strings:
        $sqli_pattern1 = /v\[value\]=.*['\"]/ nocase
        $sqli_pattern2 = /v\[value\]=.*UNION/i
        $sqli_pattern3 = /v\[value\]=.*SELECT/i
        $sqli_pattern4 = /v\[value\]=.*OR/i
    condition:
        any of ($sqli_pattern*)
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2025-59397 SQL Injection Attempt
id: 7a8b9c0d-1e2f-3a4b-5c6d-7e8f9a0b1c2d
status: experimental
description: Detects SQL injection attempts against Open Web Analytics CVE-2025-59397
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        cs-uri-query|contains: 'v[value]='
        cs-uri-query|contains|expand:
            - "'"
            - "UNION"
            - "SELECT"
            - "OR"
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of special characters in analytics parameters (rare)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http $HOME_NET any -> $EXTERNAL_NET any (
    msg:"CVE-2025-59397 OWA SQL Injection Attempt";
    flow:to_server,established;
    content:"v[value]="; http_uri;
    pcre:"/v\[value\]=.*['\"]|UNION|SELECT|OR/i";
    classtype:web-application-attack;
    sid:10000001;
    rev:1;
    reference:cve,2025-59397;
)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Upgrade: Update Open Web Analytics to version 1.8.1 or later. This is the only complete fix.
2. Virtual Patching: If immediate upgrade is not possible, deploy a WAF rule to block requests containing SQL injection patterns in the v[value] parameter.
3. Database Hardening: Ensure the database user used by OWA has minimal privileges (e.g., only SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE on necessary tables). Do not use a root or admin database account.

Long-Term Measures:

• Implement a secure coding policy that mandates the use of prepared statements for all database queries.
• Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing on web applications.
• Monitor for new CVEs and apply patches promptly.

Valters IT Signature

This report was generated by Valters IT Cyber Threat Intelligence Division. For further analysis or incident response support, contact [your-email@example.com].