CVE-2024-0488: Fighting Cock Info System SQLi Flaw

CVE-2024-0488 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/action/new-feed.php where the type_feed parameter is improperly handled, allowing attackers to inject malicious SQL commands. This flaw enables remote attackers to manipulate database queries, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, modification, or complete database compromise.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this SQL injection vulnerability to bypass authentication, extract sensitive data, modify database contents, or potentially gain complete control over the underlying database server without requiring any user interaction or authentication.

Affected Products

• code-projects Fighting Cock Information System 1.0

Discovery Timeline

• January 13, 2024 - CVE-2024-0488 published to NVD
• November 21, 2024 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-0488

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability represents a classic SQL injection flaw (CWE-89) in a PHP-based web application. The affected endpoint /admin/action/new-feed.php accepts user-supplied input through the type_feed parameter without proper sanitization or parameterized query handling. When user input is directly concatenated into SQL queries, attackers can manipulate the query structure to execute arbitrary SQL commands against the backend database.

The vulnerability is particularly severe because it exists within an administrative function, suggesting that successful exploitation could provide access to privileged database operations. The attack can be initiated remotely over the network, requires no authentication or user interaction, and can result in complete compromise of data confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is insufficient input validation and the use of unsanitized user input in SQL query construction. The type_feed parameter value is likely being directly interpolated into a SQL statement without proper escaping, prepared statements, or parameterized queries. This represents a fundamental secure coding violation where untrusted input is treated as trusted data within database operations.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for CVE-2024-0488 is network-based, targeting the /admin/action/new-feed.php endpoint. An attacker can craft malicious HTTP requests containing SQL injection payloads in the type_feed parameter. Since the vulnerability requires no authentication or user interaction, exploitation is straightforward for anyone who can reach the vulnerable endpoint.

A typical attack scenario involves sending crafted requests with SQL metacharacters and commands in the type_feed parameter. Common exploitation techniques include UNION-based injection to extract data from other tables, boolean-based blind injection to enumerate database contents character by character, or time-based blind injection using database-specific delay functions. The exploit details have been publicly disclosed and documented in the GitHub FirePunch Documentation.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-0488

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual HTTP requests to /admin/action/new-feed.php containing SQL syntax such as single quotes, UNION statements, OR conditions, or comment sequences
• Database error messages appearing in HTTP responses or application logs
• Unexpected database queries with unusual patterns in database audit logs
• Signs of data exfiltration or unauthorized database access attempts

Detection Strategies

• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns targeting the type_feed parameter
• Implement application-level logging for all requests to administrative endpoints with full parameter capture
• Configure database query monitoring to alert on anomalous query structures or unauthorized table access
• Use intrusion detection systems with signatures for common SQL injection attack patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging on the web server for all requests to /admin/action/ paths
• Monitor database logs for failed queries, syntax errors, or queries accessing system tables
• Set up alerts for multiple rapid requests to the vulnerable endpoint from single IP addresses
• Review access logs for requests containing URL-encoded SQL special characters

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-0488

Immediate Actions Required

• Remove or disable the Fighting Cock Information System application if not critical to operations
• Restrict network access to the /admin/action/new-feed.php endpoint using firewall rules or .htaccess configurations
• Implement a Web Application Firewall with SQL injection prevention rules as an interim measure
• Review database logs for any signs of prior exploitation

Patch Information

No official vendor patch has been identified for this vulnerability. The code-projects Fighting Cock Information System is a PHP-based application that appears to lack active security maintenance. Organizations using this software should consider migrating to alternative solutions or implementing the source code fixes described in the workarounds section. For additional technical details, refer to the VulDB #250593 Report.

Workarounds

• Modify the source code to use prepared statements with parameterized queries for all database operations involving the type_feed parameter
• Implement input validation to whitelist only expected characters and values for the type_feed parameter
• Deploy network-level access controls to restrict access to administrative endpoints to trusted IP addresses only
• Consider replacing the application with a more actively maintained alternative

# Configuration example - Apache .htaccess to restrict admin access
<Files "new-feed.php">
    Order Deny,Allow
    Deny from all
    Allow from 192.168.1.0/24
    Allow from 10.0.0.0/8
</Files>