CVE-2024-0475: Dormitory Management System SQLi Flaw

CVE-2024-0475 Overview

A critical SQL injection vulnerability has been identified in Code-projects Dormitory Management System version 1.0. The vulnerability exists in the modifyuser.php file, where improper sanitization of the user_id parameter allows attackers to inject malicious SQL queries. This flaw enables remote attackers to manipulate database queries without authentication, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, modification, or complete system compromise.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this SQL injection vulnerability to bypass authentication, extract sensitive user data, modify or delete database records, and potentially gain complete control over the application and underlying database server.

Affected Products

• Code-projects Dormitory Management System 1.0

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-01-13 - CVE-2024-0475 published to NVD
• 2024-11-21 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-0475

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL injection vulnerability (CWE-89) exists in the modifyuser.php file of the Dormitory Management System. The application fails to properly validate or sanitize user-supplied input in the user_id parameter before incorporating it into SQL queries. When processing user modification requests, the application directly concatenates the user_id value into database queries without parameterization or input filtering, creating a classic SQL injection attack surface.

The vulnerability is particularly severe because it requires no prior authentication or special privileges to exploit. An attacker can remotely craft malicious HTTP requests containing SQL injection payloads in the user_id parameter, allowing them to execute arbitrary SQL commands against the backend database.

Root Cause

The root cause is inadequate input validation and the absence of parameterized queries or prepared statements in the modifyuser.php file. The application directly uses untrusted user input from the user_id parameter within SQL query construction, violating secure coding practices for database interactions. This lack of input sanitization allows specially crafted input to break out of the intended query context and execute attacker-controlled SQL statements.

Attack Vector

The attack can be launched remotely over the network by sending crafted HTTP requests to the modifyuser.php endpoint. The attacker manipulates the user_id parameter to inject SQL syntax that modifies the query logic. Typical exploitation techniques include:

1. Union-based injection - Appending UNION SELECT statements to extract data from other tables
2. Boolean-based blind injection - Using conditional statements to infer database content
3. Time-based blind injection - Leveraging database sleep functions to extract data through response timing
4. Error-based injection - Triggering database errors that reveal schema information

The exploit has been publicly disclosed and documented. Technical details are available in the GitHub SQL Injection PoC published by security researchers.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-0475

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual SQL error messages appearing in web server logs related to modifyuser.php
• HTTP requests to modifyuser.php containing SQL keywords such as UNION, SELECT, DROP, INSERT, or -- comment sequences in the user_id parameter
• Database query logs showing malformed or unexpected queries originating from the Dormitory Management System application
• Unexpected database modifications, data exfiltration, or new user accounts created without authorization

Detection Strategies

• Deploy web application firewalls (WAF) configured with SQL injection detection rules targeting common injection patterns
• Implement intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for SQL injection attacks against PHP applications
• Enable detailed logging on the web server and database server to capture all requests to modifyuser.php and corresponding database queries
• Monitor for anomalous database activity such as bulk data extraction, schema enumeration, or privilege escalation attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure alerting for HTTP requests to modifyuser.php containing special characters commonly used in SQL injection (', ", ;, --, /*)
• Set up database activity monitoring to detect queries with suspicious patterns or high data retrieval volumes
• Monitor application and database logs for authentication bypass attempts or unauthorized data access
• Establish baseline normal traffic patterns to the affected endpoint and alert on deviations

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-0475

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict access to the modifyuser.php endpoint through network-level controls such as firewall rules or IP whitelisting
• Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) with SQL injection protection rules as an interim measure
• Consider taking the Dormitory Management System offline until proper remediation can be implemented
• Audit database access logs for evidence of exploitation and assess potential data breach impact

Patch Information

No official vendor patch has been identified for this vulnerability at this time. The vulnerability has been documented in VulDB #250580 and the VulDB CTI Report #250580. Organizations using Code-projects Dormitory Management System 1.0 should contact the vendor for remediation guidance or implement the workarounds described below.

Workarounds

• Implement input validation on the user_id parameter to allow only numeric values
• Modify the application code to use parameterized queries or prepared statements for all database interactions
• Apply the principle of least privilege to the database account used by the application, restricting it to only necessary operations
• Consider migrating to a maintained dormitory management solution with proper security controls

# Example: Web server configuration to block suspicious requests (Apache .htaccess)
# This is a temporary mitigation - proper code remediation is required
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} (union|select|insert|drop|update|delete|concat|char|0x) [NC]
RewriteRule ^modifyuser\.php$ - [F,L]