CVE-2024-10741: E-Health Care System SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2024-10741 Overview

A critical SQL Injection vulnerability has been identified in code-projects E-Health Care System version 1.0. This vulnerability exists in the user registration functionality at /Users/registration.php, where the f_name parameter is susceptible to SQL injection attacks. The flaw allows remote attackers to manipulate database queries through malicious input, potentially compromising the entire healthcare database. The exploit has been publicly disclosed, and additional parameters within the same component may also be vulnerable.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this SQL injection vulnerability to extract sensitive patient data, modify healthcare records, or potentially gain unauthorized access to the underlying database system without authentication.

Affected Products

• Anisha E-Health Care System 1.0
• code-projects E-Health Care System (all installations using version 1.0)
• Healthcare systems utilizing the vulnerable /Users/registration.php component

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-11-03 - CVE-2024-10741 published to NVD
• 2024-11-05 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-10741

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 component resides in the user registration module of the E-Health Care System, specifically within the /Users/registration.php file. The f_name parameter, which typically handles the first name input during user registration, fails to properly sanitize user-supplied data before incorporating it into SQL queries.

The attack can be initiated remotely without requiring authentication, making it particularly dangerous for internet-facing deployments. Healthcare systems often contain highly sensitive personal and medical information, amplifying the potential impact of a successful exploitation. The disclosure notes that other parameters in the same registration flow may also be vulnerable to similar injection attacks.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is inadequate input validation and the absence of parameterized queries or prepared statements in the registration functionality. User-supplied data from the f_name form field is directly concatenated into SQL queries without proper sanitization or escaping. This allows attackers to inject arbitrary SQL commands that the database engine interprets as legitimate query components.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, meaning an attacker can exploit this vulnerability remotely by submitting a crafted HTTP request to the /Users/registration.php endpoint. The attacker would inject SQL payload into the f_name parameter, which could include UNION-based queries to extract data, boolean-based blind injection to enumerate database contents, or time-based techniques to infer information. Since no authentication is required for the registration page, any remote attacker with network access to the application can attempt exploitation.

The vulnerability allows attackers to craft malicious input in the first name field that escapes the intended SQL context and executes arbitrary database commands. A typical attack would involve submitting specially crafted strings containing SQL syntax that, when processed by the server, alters the intended query behavior. For detailed technical analysis, refer to the GitHub CVE Analysis.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-10741

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual or malformed entries in the f_name field of user registration records containing SQL syntax characters such as single quotes, semicolons, or UNION keywords
• Database logs showing unexpected query errors or syntax errors originating from the registration module
• Web server access logs containing requests to /Users/registration.php with encoded SQL payloads in POST parameters
• Evidence of data exfiltration through error-based or time-based SQL injection techniques in application logs

Detection Strategies

• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in HTTP request parameters targeting the registration endpoint
• Implement database activity monitoring to alert on unusual query patterns or bulk data access from the web application user account
• Configure application-level logging to capture all input to the f_name parameter and related registration fields for forensic analysis
• Utilize SentinelOne's runtime application protection capabilities to detect SQL injection attempts in real-time

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor for increased error rates in the registration module that may indicate exploitation attempts
• Set up alerts for database queries containing suspicious patterns like UNION SELECT, OR 1=1, or -- comment sequences
• Track failed and successful registration attempts with anomalous patterns in user-provided fields
• Review application and database logs regularly for evidence of reconnaissance or data extraction activities

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-10741

Immediate Actions Required

• Immediately restrict network access to the /Users/registration.php endpoint if the application is internet-facing
• Implement input validation on all user-supplied parameters, especially f_name and other registration fields
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall with SQL injection detection rules as a temporary protective measure
• Review database permissions to ensure the application database user has minimal required privileges
• Consider taking the registration functionality offline until a proper fix can be implemented

Patch Information

No official vendor patch has been released for this vulnerability at the time of publication. Organizations using the affected E-Health Care System should monitor the Code Projects Security Resources for updates. Given the public disclosure and severity of the vulnerability, organizations should prioritize implementing manual remediation or consider alternative software solutions.

For additional vulnerability details and analysis, refer to VulDB #282910.

Workarounds

• Implement prepared statements or parameterized queries for all database interactions in the registration module
• Add server-side input validation to whitelist acceptable characters for name fields (alphabetic characters, hyphens, spaces only)
• Deploy network segmentation to limit database access from the web server
• Enable database query logging and implement real-time alerting for suspicious query patterns

# Example Apache .htaccess rules to block common SQL injection patterns
# Add to the web root directory of the E-Health Care System

<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
    RewriteEngine On
    # Block common SQL injection keywords in query strings
    RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} (union|select|insert|update|delete|drop) [NC]
    RewriteRule .* - [F,L]
</IfModule>

# Note: This is a temporary mitigation only
# Proper code remediation with parameterized queries is required