CVE-2024-0485: Fighting Cock Information System SQL Injection

CVE-2024-0485 Overview

A critical SQL injection vulnerability has been identified in Code-projects Fighting Cock Information System version 1.0. The vulnerability exists in the file admin/pages/tables/add_con.php where the id parameter is improperly sanitized before being used in SQL queries. This allows remote attackers to inject malicious SQL statements, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, modification, or deletion of database contents.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this SQL injection vulnerability without authentication to gain unauthorized access to the database, potentially extracting sensitive information, modifying data, or compromising the entire system.

Affected Products

• Code-projects Fighting Cock Information System 1.0

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-01-13 - CVE CVE-2024-0485 published to NVD
• 2024-11-21 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-0485

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command), commonly known as SQL Injection. The vulnerable endpoint admin/pages/tables/add_con.php fails to properly validate or sanitize the id parameter before incorporating it into SQL queries. This allows attackers to inject arbitrary SQL commands that are executed by the database server with the same privileges as the application.

The attack can be launched remotely without requiring authentication, making it particularly dangerous. Successful exploitation could allow an attacker to read sensitive data from the database, modify or delete existing records, execute administrative operations on the database, and in some configurations, execute commands on the underlying operating system.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper input validation in the add_con.php file. The application directly uses user-supplied input from the id parameter in SQL queries without proper sanitization, parameterization, or prepared statements. This classic SQL injection flaw occurs when dynamic SQL queries are constructed using string concatenation with untrusted input rather than using secure parameterized queries.

Attack Vector

The vulnerability is exploitable over the network, requiring no authentication or user interaction. An attacker can craft malicious HTTP requests to the vulnerable endpoint with specially crafted id parameter values containing SQL injection payloads. The attack complexity is low, as standard SQL injection techniques can be employed to manipulate database queries.

The vulnerable parameter accepts input that is directly concatenated into SQL statements, allowing attackers to break out of the intended query structure and inject their own SQL commands. Common attack patterns include UNION-based injection to extract data from other tables, boolean-based blind injection to infer data through true/false responses, and time-based blind injection using database sleep functions.

For detailed technical analysis and proof-of-concept documentation, refer to the GitHub PoC Documentation and the Vicarius Blog CVE-2024-0485 Analysis.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-0485

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual or malformed requests to admin/pages/tables/add_con.php containing SQL syntax characters such as single quotes, double dashes, or UNION keywords in the id parameter
• Database error messages appearing in application logs or HTTP responses indicating SQL syntax errors
• Unexplained database queries or data extraction activities in database audit logs
• Web server access logs showing repeated requests to the vulnerable endpoint with varying payloads

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block common SQL injection patterns targeting the id parameter
• Enable and monitor database query logging for suspicious or unauthorized queries originating from the web application
• Deploy intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for SQL injection attack patterns
• Review web server access logs for requests containing SQL metacharacters in URL parameters

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure real-time alerting for HTTP requests to add_con.php containing common SQL injection keywords (UNION, SELECT, INSERT, DROP, etc.)
• Monitor database server for unusual query patterns, excessive failed queries, or unauthorized data access attempts
• Implement application-level logging to capture and analyze all input to vulnerable parameters
• Set up anomaly detection for unusual traffic patterns to administrative endpoints

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-0485

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict network access to the vulnerable admin/pages/tables/add_con.php endpoint using firewall rules or web server configuration
• Implement input validation to reject requests containing SQL metacharacters in the id parameter
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with SQL injection protection rules as an interim measure
• Consider disabling or removing the Fighting Cock Information System application until a patch is available

Patch Information

As of the last update, no official vendor patch has been released for this vulnerability. Users should monitor the VulDB entry for updates on patch availability. Given the critical nature of this vulnerability and the lack of vendor response, organizations should consider alternative mitigation strategies or replacing the affected software.

Workarounds

• Implement prepared statements with parameterized queries in the vulnerable PHP file if source code modification is possible
• Use a Web Application Firewall to filter malicious SQL injection attempts before they reach the application
• Restrict access to administrative pages using IP whitelisting or VPN requirements
• Apply the principle of least privilege to the database user account used by the application to limit the impact of successful exploitation

# Example Apache .htaccess configuration to restrict access to admin pages
<Directory "/var/www/html/admin">
    Order Deny,Allow
    Deny from all
    Allow from 192.168.1.0/24
    # Replace with your trusted IP range
</Directory>