HighPublic exploit

SQL Injection in Joomla! CMS 3.1.x and 3.2.x

IdentifiersCVE-2014-7981CWE-89· Improper Neutralization of Special…

CVE-2014-7981 is a SQL injection vulnerability affecting Joomla! CMS 3.1.x and 3.2.x before 3.2.3. The issue allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via unspecified vectors. Based on the available information, the flaw is in Joomla! CMS request handling or input processing that fails to properly neutralize attacker-controlled data before it is incorporated into SQL queries. No specific vulnerable function or parameter is identified in the provided content.

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.

Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

Successful exploitation allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary SQL commands against the Joomla! backend database. Depending on database permissions and application behavior, this can enable unauthorized access to sensitive information stored in the database, modification or deletion of application data, creation of administrative accounts, and potentially full compromise of the CMS instance through database-level manipulation.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

If immediate patching is not possible, reduce exposure by restricting access to Joomla! administrative and application interfaces where feasible, deploying a web application firewall with SQL injection detection and blocking rules, monitoring for anomalous database queries and suspicious HTTP requests, and enforcing least-privilege database permissions for the Joomla! application account to limit post-exploitation impact. These are general mitigations; the specific attack vector is not identified in the provided content.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Upgrade Joomla! CMS to version 3.2.3 or later. The provided content indicates that versions prior to 3.2.3 in the 3.1.x and 3.2.x branches are affected. Applying the vendor-provided fixed release is the primary remediation.

PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

1 valid exploit after Mallory filtered fakes, detection scripts, and README-only repos.

VALID 1 / 1 TOTALView more in app

joomla_weblinks_sqli.rbMaturityWeaponizedFrameworkmetasploitVerified exploit

This repository contains a single Metasploit auxiliary module targeting Joomla (versions 3.2.2 and below) for CVE-2014-7981. The module exploits an unauthenticated SQL injection vulnerability in the 'weblinks-categories' component, allowing attackers to read arbitrary files from the server filesystem as the MySQL user, provided the MySQL user has the LOAD_FILE permission. The exploit works by sending a crafted GET request to the /index.php/weblinks-categories endpoint with a malicious 'id' parameter that leverages a UNION SELECT and the LOAD_FILE function. The module is operational and saves the exfiltrated file as loot. The code is written in Ruby and is structured as a standard Metasploit module, with options for specifying the target URI, file path to read, and category ID. No hardcoded IPs or domains are present, but the HTTP endpoint and file path are fingerprintable. The module is not a detection script; it is a functional exploit.

Disclosed Mar 2, 2014rubynetwork

EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.

VendorProductType

JoomlaJoomlaapplication

Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.

ACTIVITY FEED

Recent activity

2 sources tracked across advisories and community write-ups. News coverage will land here when it surfaces.

2 SOURCESView more in app

No news coverage yet. Advisories and community discussion only.

What this page doesn’t show

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Exposure mapping

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Threat actor evidence

Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.

Associated malware

Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.

Detection signatures

YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.

Vendor-by-vendor mapping

Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.

Social activity2