CVE-2020-17463: Fuel CMS SQL Injection Vulnerability

CVE-2020-17463 Overview

CVE-2020-17463 is a SQL Injection vulnerability affecting FUEL CMS version 1.4.7. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the col parameter in multiple administrative endpoints, including /pages/items, /permissions/items, and /navigation/items. This vulnerability has been added to the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, indicating active exploitation in the wild.

Critical Impact

This SQL Injection vulnerability allows unauthenticated remote attackers to extract sensitive database information, modify data, or potentially achieve full system compromise through database command execution. Organizations running FUEL CMS 1.4.7 should consider this vulnerability actively exploited and prioritize immediate remediation.

Affected Products

• FUEL CMS 1.4.7 (cpe:2.3:a:thedaylightstudio:fuel_cms:1.4.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*)

Discovery Timeline

• 2020-08-13 - CVE-2020-17463 published to NVD
• 2025-11-07 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2020-17463

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command (SQL Injection). The FUEL CMS application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input in the col parameter before incorporating it into SQL queries. This allows attackers to inject malicious SQL code through network-accessible endpoints without requiring authentication or user interaction.

The affected endpoints (/pages/items, /permissions/items, and /navigation/items) are part of the administrative functionality of FUEL CMS and handle data listing operations. When processing requests to these endpoints, the application directly uses the col parameter value in database queries without adequate input validation or parameterized queries.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is insufficient input validation and the use of unsanitized user input in SQL query construction. The col parameter, which is intended to specify column names for sorting or filtering operations, is not properly validated or escaped before being concatenated into SQL statements. This classic SQL Injection pattern allows attackers to break out of the intended query context and execute arbitrary SQL commands.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-based and requires no authentication or user interaction. An attacker can craft malicious HTTP requests targeting the vulnerable endpoints with specially crafted col parameter values containing SQL injection payloads. The attack can be executed remotely against any publicly accessible FUEL CMS 1.4.7 installation.

Exploitation typically involves:

1. Identifying a vulnerable FUEL CMS 1.4.7 installation
2. Sending crafted requests to /pages/items, /permissions/items, or /navigation/items endpoints
3. Including SQL injection payloads in the col parameter
4. Extracting database contents using techniques such as UNION-based injection, error-based injection, or blind SQL injection methods

Technical details about the exploitation methodology are documented in the Packet Storm Exploit Report.

Detection Methods for CVE-2020-17463

Indicators of Compromise

• HTTP requests to /pages/items, /permissions/items, or /navigation/items containing SQL syntax in the col parameter
• Web server logs showing unusual characters in col parameter values such as single quotes, UNION, SELECT, OR, AND, or encoded SQL keywords
• Database error messages being returned in HTTP responses indicating failed SQL injection attempts
• Unexpected database queries or data extraction patterns in database audit logs

Detection Strategies

• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect SQL injection patterns in the col parameter and related endpoints
• Implement intrusion detection system (IDS) signatures for known FUEL CMS SQL injection exploit patterns
• Monitor web server access logs for requests to the vulnerable endpoints containing suspicious parameter values
• Enable database query logging to detect anomalous or malicious SQL statements

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure alerting for any access to the vulnerable endpoints with non-alphanumeric characters in the col parameter
• Implement real-time log analysis for SQL injection attack indicators across all FUEL CMS instances
• Monitor for unusual database activity such as bulk data extraction, privilege escalation queries, or administrative table access
• Establish baseline traffic patterns for FUEL CMS administrative endpoints and alert on deviations

How to Mitigate CVE-2020-17463

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade FUEL CMS to version 1.4.8 or later immediately, as this version addresses the SQL injection vulnerability
• If immediate upgrade is not possible, restrict access to the vulnerable endpoints (/pages/items, /permissions/items, /navigation/items) via network controls
• Deploy WAF rules to block SQL injection attempts targeting FUEL CMS endpoints
• Review database audit logs for any evidence of prior exploitation

Patch Information

The Daylight Studio has released FUEL CMS version 1.4.8 which addresses this SQL injection vulnerability. Organizations should upgrade to version 1.4.8 or the latest available version. The patched release is available from the GitHub FUEL-CMS Release 1.4.8 page. Additional vendor information is available at the FUEL CMS Official Website.

Given the inclusion of this vulnerability in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, federal agencies and organizations following CISA guidance should prioritize remediation according to binding operational directives.

Workarounds

• Implement network-level access controls to restrict access to the FUEL CMS administrative endpoints to trusted IP addresses only
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with SQL injection detection rules in front of the FUEL CMS application
• Disable or remove the affected endpoints if the associated functionality is not required for business operations
• Implement input validation at the application level using server configuration or custom middleware to sanitize the col parameter

# Example Apache .htaccess configuration to restrict access to vulnerable endpoints
<LocationMatch "^/(pages|permissions|navigation)/items">
    Require ip 10.0.0.0/8
    Require ip 192.168.0.0/16
</LocationMatch>