# CVE-2016-9488: ManageEngine Applications Manager versions 12 and 13 suffer from remote SQL injection vulnerabilities

> Unauthenticated attackers can exploit SQL injection to extract password hashes and potentially execute OS commands in ManageEngine Applications Manager.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 5 Jun 2018
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-chxq-hg75-w349

## What is CVE-2016-9488?

CVE-2016-9488 is a critical SQL injection vulnerability in ManageEngine Applications Manager, published on 5 Jun 2018. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

ManageEngine Applications Manager versions 12 and 13 before build 13200 suffer from remote SQL injection vulnerabilities. An unauthenticated attacker is able to access the URL /servlet/MenuHandlerServlet, which is vulnerable to SQL injection. The attacker could extract users' password hashes, which are MD5 hashes without salt, and, depending on the database type and its configuration, could also execute operating system commands using SQL queries.

Weakness: CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2016-9488?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Manageengine Applications Manager.

## How do I fix CVE-2016-9488?

No fix has been published for CVE-2016-9488 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2016-9488 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-9488 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- ManageEngine Applications Manager 13 - 'MenuHandlerServlet' SQL Injection (exploitdb)

## Other vulnerabilities in ManageEngine Applications Manager

- [CVE-2012-1063](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-1063/): SQL injection in n/a (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2008-0476](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-0476/): Missing authorization in n/a (medium 6.4)
- [CVE-2016-9490](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-9490/): ManageEngine Applications Manager versions 12 and 13 suffer from a Reflected Cross-Site Scripting vulnerability (medium 6.1)
- [CVE-2008-0475](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-0475/): Information disclosure in n/a (medium 5.0)
- [CVE-2012-1062](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-1062/): Cross-site scripting in n/a (medium 4.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2016-9488 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2016-9488 is a critical SQL injection vulnerability in ManageEngine Applications Manager, published on 5 Jun 2018. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-9488 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: ManageEngine Applications Manager. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-9488/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-9488/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-9488
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-9488
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2016-9488

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-9488/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.