CVE-2024-2517: Online Event Hall Reservation SQLI Flaw

CVE-2024-2517 Overview

A critical SQL Injection vulnerability has been identified in MAGESH-K21 Online-College-Event-Hall-Reservation-System version 1.0. This vulnerability exists in the book_history.php file where the del_id parameter is not properly sanitized before being used in SQL queries. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to inject malicious SQL statements that can compromise the entire database, potentially exposing sensitive user data and enabling unauthorized data manipulation.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can execute arbitrary SQL commands without authentication, potentially leading to complete database compromise, data theft, and unauthorized access to the reservation system.

Affected Products

• MAGESH-K21 Online-College-Event-Hall-Reservation-System 1.0
• Installations using the vulnerable book_history.php endpoint

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-03-16 - CVE-2024-2517 published to NVD
• 2025-02-14 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-2517

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL Injection vulnerability occurs in the book_history.php file of the Online-College-Event-Hall-Reservation-System. The application fails to properly validate and sanitize the del_id parameter before incorporating it into SQL queries. This is classified as a Blind SQL Injection vulnerability, meaning attackers can infer information from the application's responses without directly seeing the query output.

The vulnerability requires no authentication to exploit and can be triggered remotely over the network. Successful exploitation allows attackers to read, modify, or delete data from the database, potentially including user credentials, reservation records, and other sensitive information stored in the system.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper input validation (CWE-89: SQL Injection). The del_id parameter in book_history.php is directly concatenated into SQL queries without proper sanitization, parameterized queries, or prepared statements. This allows attackers to break out of the intended SQL syntax and inject arbitrary SQL commands.

Attack Vector

The attack can be initiated remotely over the network without requiring any authentication or user interaction. An attacker sends crafted HTTP requests to the book_history.php endpoint with malicious SQL code in the del_id parameter. The exploit has been publicly disclosed, and a proof-of-concept is available demonstrating the blind SQL injection technique. The vendor was contacted about this vulnerability but did not respond, leaving no official patch available.

The vulnerability allows time-based or boolean-based blind SQL injection, where attackers can extract database contents character by character by observing the application's response behavior.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-2517

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual SQL error messages or application behavior when accessing book_history.php
• Web server logs showing suspicious requests to book_history.php with unusual del_id parameter values containing SQL syntax such as quotes, semicolons, UNION, SELECT, or SLEEP commands
• Database logs indicating failed or suspicious queries originating from the web application
• Unexpected database modifications or data exfiltration patterns

Detection Strategies

• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect SQL injection patterns in HTTP requests targeting book_history.php
• Monitor web server access logs for requests containing common SQL injection payloads in the del_id parameter
• Implement database activity monitoring to detect unusual query patterns or unauthorized data access
• Use SentinelOne's application control and behavioral analysis to identify SQL injection attack attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for the book_history.php endpoint and review logs regularly
• Configure alerts for requests with suspicious characters or SQL keywords in URL parameters
• Monitor database query execution times to detect time-based blind SQL injection attempts
• Set up intrusion detection rules specifically for blind SQL injection attack patterns

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-2517

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict access to the book_history.php endpoint until a proper fix is implemented
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall with rules to block SQL injection attempts
• Implement network-level access controls to limit exposure of the vulnerable application
• If possible, take the affected system offline or isolate it from untrusted networks
• Review database logs for signs of prior exploitation

Patch Information

No official patch is currently available from the vendor. The vendor (MAGESH-K21) was contacted about this disclosure but did not respond. Organizations using this software should implement the workarounds below and consider alternative solutions.

For technical details about the vulnerability, refer to the GitHub PoC for Blind SQL Injection and VulDB #256954.

Workarounds

• Implement input validation to reject any del_id values that are not strictly numeric integers
• Use prepared statements or parameterized queries when modifying the book_history.php code
• Deploy a reverse proxy or WAF to filter malicious SQL injection payloads
• Implement least-privilege database accounts for the web application to limit the impact of successful exploitation
• Consider disabling the delete functionality entirely until proper security controls are in place

# Example: Restrict access to book_history.php via Apache .htaccess
<Files "book_history.php">
    Order Deny,Allow
    Deny from all
    Allow from 192.168.1.0/24
</Files>