A vulnerability in web-based management interface of the of Cisco Email Security Appliance and Cisco Secure Email and Web Manager could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to conduct SQL injection attacks as root on an affected system. The attacker must have the credentials of a high-privileged user account. This vulnerability is due to improper validation of user-submitted parameters. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by authenticating to the application and sending malicious requests to an affected system. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to obtain data or modify data that is stored in the underlying database of the affected system.
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.