CVE-2022-24407: Cyrus-SASL SQL Injection Vulnerability

CVE-2022-24407 Overview

CVE-2022-24407 is a SQL Injection vulnerability affecting Cyrus SASL versions 2.1.17 through 2.1.27. The vulnerability exists in the plugins/sql.c file, where the password parameter is not properly escaped before being used in SQL INSERT or UPDATE statements. This allows authenticated attackers to inject malicious SQL commands through specially crafted password values, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, modification, or deletion in backend databases.

Critical Impact

Authenticated attackers can exploit this SQL injection flaw to compromise database confidentiality, integrity, and availability through malicious SQL statements injected via password fields.

Affected Products

• Cyrus IMAP Cyrus-SASL 2.1.17 through 2.1.27
• Debian Linux 9.0, 10.0, 11.0
• Fedora 34, 35, 36
• NetApp Active IQ Unified Manager for VMware vSphere
• NetApp ONTAP Select Deploy Administration Utility
• Oracle Communications Cloud Native Core Console 22.2.0
• Oracle Communications Cloud Native Core Network Function Cloud Native Environment 22.2.0
• Oracle Communications Cloud Native Core Security Edge Protection Proxy 22.1.1

Discovery Timeline

• February 24, 2022 - CVE-2022-24407 published to NVD
• November 21, 2024 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2022-24407

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability stems from improper input validation in the Cyrus SASL SQL auxiliary property plugin. The plugins/sql.c component constructs dynamic SQL queries using user-supplied password values without proper sanitization or parameterized queries. When SASL is configured to use a SQL backend for authentication data storage, password values are directly concatenated into INSERT or UPDATE SQL statements during authentication operations.

The lack of proper escaping allows an attacker with valid low-privilege credentials to craft password values containing SQL metacharacters that break out of the intended query context. This enables arbitrary SQL command execution against the backend database with the privileges of the SASL database user.

Root Cause

The root cause is a classic SQL injection vulnerability (CWE-89) where user-controlled input (the password field) is incorporated into SQL statements without adequate sanitization. The plugins/sql.c module fails to use prepared statements or proper escaping functions when building SQL queries, allowing SQL metacharacters in password values to alter the query's intended structure and logic.

Attack Vector

The attack requires network access and low-privilege authentication to the target system. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by:

1. Establishing a connection to a service using Cyrus SASL with SQL backend authentication
2. Submitting an authentication request with a maliciously crafted password containing SQL injection payloads
3. The unescaped password value is incorporated into SQL INSERT or UPDATE statements
4. The injected SQL commands execute with database user privileges

The vulnerability is exploitable through any application or service that uses the affected Cyrus SASL SQL plugin for authentication, including mail servers, LDAP proxies, and other network services that rely on SASL authentication.

The SQL injection occurs in the password handling routines where dynamic SQL query construction takes place. When the SQL auxiliary property plugin processes authentication requests, it builds INSERT or UPDATE statements to manage user credentials in the database. Without proper escaping, a password value like password'; DROP TABLE users; -- would break out of the intended query context and execute arbitrary SQL commands. For detailed technical analysis, refer to the Cyrus SASL Release Notes.

Detection Methods for CVE-2022-24407

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual SQL error messages in application logs related to SASL authentication
• Database audit logs showing unexpected INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, or DROP statements during authentication events
• Authentication failures with anomalous password field contents containing SQL metacharacters
• Unexpected database modifications or data exfiltration patterns

Detection Strategies

• Monitor database query logs for SQL syntax errors or anomalous query patterns during SASL authentication
• Implement database activity monitoring to detect unauthorized data access or modifications
• Review application logs for authentication attempts with suspicious password patterns containing characters like ', ;, --, or UNION
• Deploy network intrusion detection rules to identify SQL injection payloads in SASL authentication traffic

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging on SASL-enabled services and correlate with database audit logs
• Configure database alerting for privilege escalation attempts or schema modifications
• Implement file integrity monitoring on Cyrus SASL configuration files and plugin directories
• Monitor for bulk data access patterns that may indicate successful exploitation and data exfiltration

How to Mitigate CVE-2022-24407

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade Cyrus SASL to version 2.1.28 or later, which includes the security fix
• If immediate patching is not possible, consider disabling the SQL auxiliary property plugin temporarily
• Audit database user permissions used by SASL to ensure minimal required privileges
• Review database logs for evidence of exploitation attempts

Patch Information

The vulnerability is addressed in Cyrus SASL version 2.1.28. Organizations should upgrade to this version or apply vendor-specific patches as available:

• Cyrus IMAP: Upgrade to cyrus-sasl-2.1.28 from the official release
• Debian: Apply updates per DSA-5087 and Debian LTS Announcement
• Fedora: Apply updates from Fedora Package Announcements
• NetApp: Refer to the NetApp Security Advisory
• Oracle: Apply patches per Oracle July 2022 Security Alerts

Workarounds

• Disable the SQL auxiliary property plugin if not required for operations
• Restrict network access to services using Cyrus SASL SQL authentication to trusted sources only
• Implement a web application firewall or network-level filtering to detect and block SQL injection patterns
• Configure the database user account used by SASL with minimal privileges (read-only where possible)

# Check installed Cyrus SASL version
saslpluginviewer -c

# For Debian/Ubuntu systems, update to patched version
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade libsasl2-2 libsasl2-modules-sql

# For RHEL/CentOS/Fedora systems
sudo dnf update cyrus-sasl cyrus-sasl-sql

# Verify the update
rpm -q cyrus-sasl || dpkg -l libsasl2-2