CVE-2024-0462: Faculty Clearance System SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2024-0462 Overview

A critical SQL injection vulnerability has been identified in the code-projects Online Faculty Clearance System version 1.0. This vulnerability exists within the HTTP POST Request Handler component, specifically in the file /production/designee_view_status.php. The flaw allows attackers to manipulate the haydi parameter to inject malicious SQL queries, potentially compromising the entire database backend.

Critical Impact

This SQL injection vulnerability allows unauthenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands against the database, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, data modification, or complete database compromise.

Affected Products

• Fabian Online Faculty Clearance System 1.0
• code-projects Online Faculty Clearance 1.0

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-01-12 - CVE-2024-0462 published to NVD
• 2025-10-23 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-0462

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability represents a classic SQL injection flaw (CWE-89) in web application security. The vulnerable endpoint /production/designee_view_status.php fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input passed through the haydi parameter in HTTP POST requests. When user input is directly concatenated into SQL queries without proper parameterization or escaping, attackers can inject malicious SQL statements that are then executed by the database server.

The attack requires no authentication and can be launched remotely over the network, making it accessible to any attacker with network connectivity to the vulnerable application. Successful exploitation could result in complete compromise of database confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper input validation and the absence of parameterized queries (prepared statements) in the PHP code handling the haydi parameter. The application directly incorporates user-controlled input into SQL query strings, allowing attackers to break out of the intended query context and inject arbitrary SQL commands. This represents a fundamental secure coding failure where untrusted input is not properly sanitized before being used in database operations.

Attack Vector

The attack is conducted remotely via network-based HTTP POST requests to the /production/designee_view_status.php endpoint. An attacker crafts a malicious POST request containing SQL injection payloads in the haydi parameter. The vulnerable application concatenates this input directly into a SQL query, which is then executed against the backend database.

The exploitation does not require any authentication or user interaction, making it particularly dangerous. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to extract sensitive data from the database, modify or delete records, or potentially escalate to operating system command execution depending on the database configuration and privileges.

Technical details and proof-of-concept information have been documented and are available through the GitHub SQL Injection Document and VulDB #250567.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-0462

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual or malformed HTTP POST requests to /production/designee_view_status.php containing SQL syntax in the haydi parameter
• Database error messages appearing in application logs or responses indicating SQL syntax errors
• Unexpected database queries containing UNION SELECT, OR 1=1, or other common SQL injection patterns
• Evidence of data exfiltration or unauthorized database access in audit logs

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in HTTP POST parameters
• Configure database query logging and monitor for anomalous or suspicious query patterns
• Deploy intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for common SQL injection attack payloads
• Perform regular security scanning of web applications using automated vulnerability scanners

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable and review web server access logs for requests targeting /production/designee_view_status.php
• Monitor database server logs for failed authentication attempts or unusual query execution patterns
• Set up alerts for HTTP requests containing known SQL injection keywords (UNION, SELECT, INSERT, DROP, etc.)
• Implement real-time application security monitoring to detect exploitation attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-0462

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict network access to the Online Faculty Clearance System to trusted IP addresses or internal networks only
• Consider temporarily disabling the /production/designee_view_status.php endpoint if it is not critical for operations
• Implement input validation at the web server or WAF level to filter malicious SQL injection payloads
• Review database user permissions and apply the principle of least privilege to limit potential damage from exploitation

Patch Information

No official vendor patch has been released for this vulnerability. The application is a code-projects implementation, and users should monitor the project repository for security updates. Organizations using this software should consider implementing manual code fixes to use parameterized queries or prepared statements for all database operations involving user input.

For technical details about the vulnerability, refer to the VulDB CTI #250567 advisory.

Workarounds

• Implement parameterized queries (prepared statements) in the vulnerable PHP code to prevent SQL injection
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) in front of the application to filter malicious input
• Add server-side input validation to sanitize the haydi parameter before use in database queries
• Restrict database user permissions to limit the scope of potential SQL injection attacks
• Consider migrating to a more actively maintained faculty clearance system if patches are not forthcoming

# Example WAF configuration (ModSecurity)
# Add to modsecurity.conf to block SQL injection attempts
SecRule ARGS:haydi "@detectSQLi" \
    "id:100001,\
    phase:2,\
    deny,\
    status:403,\
    log,\
    msg:'SQL Injection attempt detected in haydi parameter'"