CVE-2024-10507 Overview
A critical SQL injection vulnerability has been identified in Codezips Free Exam Hall Seating Management System version 1.0. The vulnerability exists in the /login.php file where the email parameter is not properly sanitized before being used in SQL queries. This allows remote attackers to manipulate database queries through specially crafted input, potentially leading to unauthorized access, data theft, or complete database compromise.
Critical Impact
Remote attackers can exploit this SQL injection vulnerability without authentication to bypass login mechanisms, extract sensitive data from the database, or potentially gain unauthorized administrative access to the exam hall seating management system.
Affected Products
- Codezips Free Exam Hall Seating Management System 1.0
Discovery Timeline
- 2024-10-30 - CVE-2024-10507 published to NVD
- 2024-11-05 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2024-10507
Vulnerability Analysis
This SQL injection vulnerability affects the authentication mechanism of the Codezips Free Exam Hall Seating Management System. The vulnerable endpoint /login.php accepts user-supplied input through the email parameter without proper sanitization or parameterized queries. When an attacker submits malicious SQL syntax through this parameter, the application directly incorporates the input into the SQL query, allowing the attacker to modify the query's logic and behavior.
The vulnerability is classified under CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command), which represents one of the most common and dangerous web application security flaws. Because the vulnerability exists in the login functionality, successful exploitation could allow attackers to bypass authentication entirely or extract credentials and other sensitive information stored in the database.
Root Cause
The root cause of this vulnerability is improper input validation and the lack of parameterized queries (prepared statements) in the /login.php file. The application directly concatenates user-supplied input from the email parameter into SQL queries without sanitizing special characters or using secure coding practices. This allows SQL metacharacters to be interpreted as part of the query syntax rather than as literal data.
Attack Vector
The attack can be initiated remotely over the network without requiring any authentication or user interaction. An attacker can craft a malicious HTTP request to the /login.php endpoint with a specially crafted email parameter containing SQL injection payloads. Common attack techniques include:
- Authentication bypass using payloads like ' OR '1'='1 or admin'--
- Union-based injection to extract data from other database tables
- Boolean-based blind injection to enumerate database contents character by character
- Time-based blind injection using SQL SLEEP() or BENCHMARK() functions
The exploit has been publicly disclosed, increasing the risk of exploitation in the wild. Technical details are available through the GitHub CVE Issue Discussion.
Detection Methods for CVE-2024-10507
Indicators of Compromise
- Unusual SQL error messages in application logs originating from /login.php
- Login attempts with suspicious email values containing SQL syntax such as single quotes, UNION, SELECT, OR, AND, or comment sequences (--, /*)
- Abnormal database query patterns or unexpected data access in database audit logs
- Multiple failed authentication attempts followed by successful login from the same source
Detection Strategies
- Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block common SQL injection patterns in the email parameter
- Monitor HTTP request logs for suspicious payloads targeting /login.php
- Enable database query logging and alert on queries containing unexpected SQL keywords from web application context
- Deploy runtime application self-protection (RASP) solutions to detect SQL injection attempts
Monitoring Recommendations
- Configure alerting for any HTTP requests to /login.php containing SQL injection indicators
- Monitor database query execution times for anomalies that may indicate time-based blind SQL injection attacks
- Review authentication logs for patterns indicating brute-force or injection-based bypass attempts
- Implement network traffic analysis to identify reconnaissance and exploitation attempts against the application
How to Mitigate CVE-2024-10507
Immediate Actions Required
- Remove the Codezips Free Exam Hall Seating Management System from production environments until a patch is available
- Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with SQL injection detection rules as a temporary mitigation
- Restrict network access to the application to trusted IP addresses only
- Review database logs for signs of prior exploitation and assess potential data exposure
Patch Information
At the time of this publication, no official vendor patch has been released for this vulnerability. Organizations using this software should monitor the vendor's communications for security updates. Given that the software is a free open-source project, users may need to implement their own code fixes or consider alternative solutions.
For technical details and ongoing discussion, refer to:
Workarounds
- Implement input validation on the server side to reject email parameters containing SQL metacharacters
- Modify the /login.php code to use prepared statements with parameterized queries instead of string concatenation
- Deploy a reverse proxy or WAF to filter malicious requests before they reach the application
- Consider replacing the vulnerable application with a more secure alternative if patching is not feasible
# Example WAF rule (ModSecurity) to block SQL injection in email parameter
SecRule ARGS:email "@detectSQLi" \
"id:1001,\
phase:2,\
block,\
msg:'SQL Injection attempt detected in email parameter',\
logdata:'Matched Data: %{MATCHED_VAR} found within %{MATCHED_VAR_NAME}',\
severity:'CRITICAL'"
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
