CVE-2024-10740: E-Health Care System SQL Injection Flaw

CVE-2024-10740 Overview

CVE-2024-10740 is a SQL injection vulnerability in code-projects E-Health Care System version 1.0, developed by Anisha. The flaw resides in the /Admin/consulting_detail.php script, where the consulting_id parameter is incorporated into a database query without proper sanitization. Attackers can exploit this issue remotely over the network with low-privileged authenticated access. The vulnerability is tracked under CWE-89 and has been publicly disclosed, including proof-of-concept details published on third-party platforms.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers with low privileges can manipulate database queries through the consulting_id parameter, potentially exposing patient records, administrative credentials, and other sensitive healthcare data stored within the application.

Affected Products

• Anisha E-Health Care System 1.0
• code-projects E-Health Care System (all builds up to 1.0)
• Deployments referencing the vulnerable /Admin/consulting_detail.php endpoint

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-11-03 - CVE-2024-10740 published to the National Vulnerability Database
• 2024-11-05 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-10740

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a classic SQL injection flaw classified under [CWE-89]. The administrative consulting detail page accepts the consulting_id argument directly from an HTTP request and concatenates it into a SQL statement. Because no parameterized query, prepared statement, or input validation guards the parameter, an attacker can append arbitrary SQL syntax to alter the query logic. The exploit is reachable over the network and requires only low-privileged authentication, which is consistent with the application's permissive administrative scope.

Given the application's healthcare context, successful exploitation can expose patient consultation records, login credentials, and other protected health information. The attacker can also leverage stacked queries or UNION SELECT constructs to enumerate the schema and exfiltrate data.

Root Cause

The root cause is the use of unsanitized user input in a dynamically constructed SQL query within /Admin/consulting_detail.php. The consulting_id parameter is passed to the database engine without type-casting, escaping, or binding through a prepared statement, allowing attacker-supplied SQL syntax to be parsed and executed.

Attack Vector

An authenticated attacker sends a crafted HTTP request to the /Admin/consulting_detail.php endpoint, supplying a malicious payload in the consulting_id parameter. Typical payloads include boolean-based, error-based, time-based, or UNION-based injection patterns. Because the request originates over HTTP, no local access or user interaction is required beyond initial authentication.

The vulnerability mechanism is documented in third-party advisories. See the GitHub CVE SQL Guide and the VulDB ID #282909 submission for additional technical detail.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-10740

Indicators of Compromise

• HTTP requests to /Admin/consulting_detail.php containing SQL meta-characters such as ', --, UNION, SELECT, SLEEP(, or 0x in the consulting_id parameter
• Database error responses returned to clients when interacting with the consulting detail page
• Unexpected outbound data flows from the web server following requests to the affected endpoint

Detection Strategies

• Deploy web application firewall (WAF) signatures that flag SQL injection patterns targeting the consulting_id query string parameter
• Enable database query logging and alert on queries containing UNION SELECT, INFORMATION_SCHEMA, or BENCHMARK( originating from the E-Health Care System service account
• Correlate web access logs with database audit logs to identify single-request access patterns that return abnormal row counts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Continuously monitor authentication events to the /Admin/ directory and alert on anomalous administrative session activity
• Track response sizes and HTTP status codes for /Admin/consulting_detail.php to detect data exfiltration via blind injection
• Review web server and PHP error logs for SQL syntax errors that indicate active probing

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-10740

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict access to the /Admin/ directory using IP allowlisting or network segmentation until a vendor patch is available
• Audit administrative accounts and rotate credentials that may have been exposed through prior exploitation
• Deploy WAF rules that block SQL meta-characters in the consulting_id parameter

Patch Information

No vendor advisory or official patch has been published for CVE-2024-10740 at the time of writing. Organizations should consult the code-projects resource page for vendor updates and consider replacing the application if maintenance has been discontinued. Refer to VulDB CTI ID #282909 for ongoing tracking.

Workarounds

• Modify /Admin/consulting_detail.php to use PHP Data Objects (PDO) with prepared statements and bound parameters for the consulting_id value
• Enforce strict server-side input validation that confirms consulting_id is a numeric integer before query execution
• Apply the principle of least privilege to the database account used by the application to limit data accessible through a successful injection

# Example PHP remediation using PDO prepared statements
$stmt = $pdo->prepare("SELECT * FROM consulting WHERE consulting_id = :id");
$stmt->bindParam(':id', $_GET['consulting_id'], PDO::PARAM_INT);
$stmt->execute();