CVE-2024-10156: Phpgurukul Boat Booking System SQLi Flaw

CVE-2024-10156 Overview

A critical SQL Injection vulnerability has been identified in PHPGurukul Boat Booking System version 1.0. The vulnerability exists in the administrator Sign In Page (/admin/index.php), where the username parameter is susceptible to SQL injection attacks due to improper input sanitization. This flaw allows remote attackers to manipulate database queries without authentication, potentially leading to unauthorized access, data extraction, or complete database compromise.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this SQL injection vulnerability to bypass authentication, extract sensitive data, or modify database contents in the Boat Booking System without requiring any prior authentication.

Affected Products

• PHPGurukul Boat Booking System 1.0
• PHPGurukul Boat Booking System (all installations using vulnerable /admin/index.php)

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-10-19 - CVE-2024-10156 published to NVD
• 2024-10-22 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-10156

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL Injection vulnerability (CWE-89) affects the administrator login functionality in PHPGurukul Boat Booking System. The vulnerable endpoint /admin/index.php fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input in the username parameter before incorporating it into SQL queries. This classic injection flaw allows attackers to inject arbitrary SQL commands through the login form, potentially bypassing authentication entirely or extracting sensitive information from the underlying database.

The attack requires no authentication or user interaction, as it targets the public-facing login page. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability remotely over the network with low complexity requirements. The exploitation of this vulnerability has been publicly disclosed, increasing the risk of active exploitation in the wild.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2024-10156 is improper input validation and lack of parameterized queries in the authentication mechanism. The username parameter from user input is directly concatenated into SQL statements without proper sanitization or the use of prepared statements. This allows attackers to break out of the intended query structure and inject malicious SQL code.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, targeting the administrator Sign In Page at /admin/index.php. An unauthenticated remote attacker can craft a malicious HTTP POST request containing SQL injection payloads in the username field. The exploitation technique typically involves:

1. Accessing the administrator login page
2. Submitting a crafted username value containing SQL syntax
3. The unsanitized input is passed directly to the database query
4. The attacker's SQL commands execute with database privileges

This vulnerability allows for various attack scenarios including authentication bypass, data exfiltration, and potentially database modification. For detailed technical analysis and proof-of-concept information, refer to the GitHub SQLi Vulnerability Report.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-10156

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual SQL syntax or special characters (', ", --, ;, OR, UNION) in web server access logs for /admin/index.php
• Multiple failed or suspicious login attempts to the admin panel with malformed usernames
• Database error messages exposed in application responses
• Unexpected database query patterns or execution times in database logs
• Evidence of data extraction or unauthorized SELECT statements in database audit logs

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in POST parameters targeting /admin/index.php
• Monitor web server logs for requests containing common SQL injection payloads in the username parameter
• Deploy database activity monitoring to identify anomalous query patterns or unauthorized data access
• Configure intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for SQL injection attack patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging on web servers and database systems to capture authentication attempts
• Set up alerting for repeated failed login attempts or requests with suspicious characters to the admin login endpoint
• Implement real-time log analysis to correlate potential SQL injection attempts across web and database tiers
• Regularly review database query logs for unexpected SELECT, UNION, or data extraction operations

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-10156

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict access to /admin/index.php by IP whitelisting or placing it behind a VPN until a patch is applied
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with SQL injection protection rules enabled
• Review web server and database logs for evidence of prior exploitation
• Consider taking the vulnerable application offline if it processes sensitive data and cannot be immediately secured
• Implement network-level access controls to limit exposure of the admin panel

Patch Information

As of the last update on 2024-10-22, no official vendor patch has been released for this vulnerability. PHPGurukul has not published a security advisory addressing CVE-2024-10156. Users should monitor the PHP Gurukul Homepage for future security updates. In the absence of an official patch, organizations should implement compensating controls and consider the workarounds listed below.

Additional vulnerability details can be found at VulDB #280942.

Workarounds

• Modify the /admin/index.php file to implement prepared statements (parameterized queries) for all database operations involving user input
• Apply input validation and sanitization to the username parameter, allowing only alphanumeric characters
• Implement rate limiting on the login endpoint to slow down automated exploitation attempts
• Add CAPTCHA protection to the admin login form to prevent automated attacks
• Consider using a reverse proxy with SQL injection filtering capabilities

# Example: Restrict admin access by IP using .htaccess
# Place this in the /admin/ directory
<Files "index.php">
    Order Deny,Allow
    Deny from all
    # Replace with your trusted IP addresses
    Allow from 192.168.1.0/24
    Allow from 10.0.0.5
</Files>