CVE-2024-2522: Online College Event Hall System SQLi Flaw

CVE-2024-2522 Overview

A critical SQL Injection vulnerability has been discovered in MAGESH-K21 Online-College-Event-Hall-Reservation-System version 1.0. The vulnerability exists in the /admin/booktime.php file where the room_id parameter is not properly sanitized before being used in database queries. This flaw allows remote attackers to inject malicious SQL statements, potentially compromising the entire database backend of the application.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this SQL Injection vulnerability without authentication to extract sensitive data, modify database contents, or potentially gain unauthorized access to the underlying system. The exploit has been publicly disclosed and the vendor has not responded to security notifications.

Affected Products

• MAGESH-K21 Online-College-Event-Hall-Reservation-System 1.0

Discovery Timeline

• March 16, 2024 - CVE-2024-2522 published to NVD
• February 14, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-2522

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL Injection vulnerability occurs in the administrative booking functionality of the Online-College-Event-Hall-Reservation-System. The /admin/booktime.php endpoint accepts a room_id parameter that is directly incorporated into SQL queries without proper input validation or parameterized query handling. This classic injection vector allows attackers to manipulate database queries by crafting malicious input values.

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. Successful exploitation could allow attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms, extract sensitive information from the database including user credentials and booking records, modify or delete critical data, and potentially execute administrative operations on the database server.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the direct concatenation of user-supplied input (the room_id parameter) into SQL query strings without proper sanitization or the use of prepared statements. The application fails to validate that the room_id parameter contains only expected numeric values, nor does it employ parameterized queries which would prevent SQL injection attacks regardless of input content.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, requiring no authentication or user interaction. An attacker can remotely send crafted HTTP requests to the /admin/booktime.php endpoint with a malicious room_id parameter value. The injected SQL code is then executed by the database server with the privileges of the application's database user.

The vulnerability allows for various SQL injection techniques including UNION-based injection for data extraction, boolean-based blind injection for inferring data, and time-based blind injection for systems where direct output is not visible. The attack can be performed using standard web proxy tools or automated SQL injection frameworks.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-2522

Indicators of Compromise

• HTTP requests to /admin/booktime.php containing SQL syntax in the room_id parameter such as single quotes, UNION statements, or comment sequences
• Unusual database query patterns or errors in application logs indicating SQL syntax errors
• Database logs showing unexpected queries or access to system tables
• Anomalous data extraction patterns or large result sets being returned to web requests

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in the room_id parameter
• Monitor web server access logs for requests to /admin/booktime.php with suspicious parameter values
• Enable database query logging and alert on queries containing injection indicators
• Deploy intrusion detection systems with signatures for common SQL injection payloads

Monitoring Recommendations

• Establish baseline monitoring for database query patterns and alert on deviations
• Configure real-time alerting for web application errors related to SQL syntax
• Monitor for unusual database account activity or privilege escalation attempts
• Review access logs regularly for reconnaissance activity targeting administrative endpoints

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-2522

Immediate Actions Required

• Remove or disable access to the /admin/booktime.php endpoint if the functionality is not critical
• Implement network-level access controls to restrict access to administrative functions
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall with SQL injection protection rules as an immediate compensating control
• Audit the database for signs of compromise and review recent access logs

Patch Information

No official patch has been released by the vendor. According to the vulnerability disclosure notes, the vendor (MAGESH-K21) was contacted early about this issue but did not respond. Organizations using this software should consider the following alternatives:

For technical details and proof-of-concept information, refer to the GitHub SQL Injection PoC and the VulDB CTI Report #256959.

Workarounds

• Modify the application source code to implement prepared statements or parameterized queries for the room_id parameter
• Add server-side input validation to ensure room_id contains only numeric values
• Restrict database user privileges to the minimum required for application functionality
• Place the application behind a reverse proxy with SQL injection filtering capabilities
• Consider migrating to an alternative, actively maintained event hall reservation system

# Example: Apache ModSecurity rule to block SQL injection in room_id parameter
SecRule ARGS:room_id "@detectSQLi" "id:1001,deny,status:403,msg:'SQL Injection Blocked in room_id'"

# Example: Input validation at application level (PHP)
# if (!ctype_digit($_GET['room_id'])) { die('Invalid room_id'); }