CVE-2024-2524: Online Hall Reservation System SQLi Flaw

CVE-2024-2524 Overview

CVE-2024-2524 is a SQL injection vulnerability in MAGESH-K21 Online-College-Event-Hall-Reservation-System version 1.0. The flaw resides in /admin/receipt.php, where the room_id parameter is passed to a database query without proper sanitization. An authenticated remote attacker can manipulate this parameter to inject arbitrary SQL statements. The vulnerability is tracked as VulDB entry VDB-256961 and maps to [CWE-89]. Public exploit details have been disclosed, increasing the practical risk to deployments. The vendor was contacted prior to disclosure but did not respond, and no official patch is available.

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation allows attackers to read, modify, or delete arbitrary data in the application database and can lead to full compromise of the reservation system.

Affected Products

MAGESH-K21 Online-College-Event-Hall-Reservation-System 1.0
Component: magesh-k21:online-college-event-hall-reservation-system
Vulnerable endpoint: /admin/receipt.php

Discovery Timeline

2024-03-16 - CVE-2024-2524 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-2524

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a classic SQL injection flaw in the administrative receipt page of the reservation system. The /admin/receipt.php script accepts the room_id HTTP parameter and concatenates it directly into a SQL query executed against the backend database. Because the application does not use parameterized queries or apply input validation, an attacker can inject SQL syntax that alters the query logic.

Exploitation requires network access to the application and low-privilege authentication to reach the admin endpoint. Successful injection can expose stored user records, reservation data, and administrative credentials. Attackers can also chain the flaw with database features such as UNION SELECT, error-based extraction, or time-based blind techniques to read arbitrary tables. Depending on database privileges, file read and write primitives may also be available.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper neutralization of special elements used in a SQL command [CWE-89]. The room_id argument is trusted as received from the client and passed directly into a dynamic query string, bypassing any escaping or type enforcement.

Attack Vector

The attack is remote and requires a crafted HTTP request to /admin/receipt.php with a malicious room_id value. Public technical details are available on the GitHub SQL Injection Exploit writeup and in the VulDB #256961 advisory.

No verified exploit code is reproduced here. Refer to the referenced advisories for payload structures and proof-of-concept requests.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-2524

Indicators of Compromise

HTTP requests to /admin/receipt.php containing SQL metacharacters such as ', ", --, /*, UNION, or SLEEP( in the room_id parameter.
Web server or PHP error log entries referencing SQL syntax errors originating from receipt.php.
Unusual database sessions initiated by the web application user with SELECT or UNION queries that reference information_schema or system tables.
Sudden growth in outbound response sizes from receipt.php, suggesting bulk data extraction.

Detection Strategies

Deploy a web application firewall rule that inspects the room_id parameter for SQL injection patterns and blocks non-numeric input.
Enable database query logging and alert on queries containing tautologies such as OR 1=1 or UNION SELECT sourced from the reservation application.
Correlate authenticated admin sessions with anomalous parameter values in access logs to identify probing behavior.

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward web server, PHP, and database logs to a centralized analytics platform for retention and correlation.
Monitor authentication events for the admin panel and flag brute-force or credential-stuffing attempts that precede injection activity.
Track outbound network connections from the database host to detect exfiltration following successful exploitation.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-2524

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict access to /admin/receipt.php to trusted networks or place the admin interface behind a VPN until a fix is available.
Deploy a WAF rule that enforces a strict numeric allowlist on the room_id parameter and blocks requests containing SQL metacharacters.
Rotate administrative credentials and audit the application database for signs of unauthorized modification.
Reduce the privileges of the database account used by the application to the minimum required for normal operation.

Patch Information

No official patch has been released. The vendor was contacted before public disclosure and did not respond, per the VulDB CTI Advisory #256961. Operators should consider migrating away from the affected application or applying source-level fixes locally by rewriting the affected query to use parameterized statements (for example, PHP PDO with bound parameters).

Workarounds

Cast room_id to an integer server-side before use, for example $room_id = (int)$_GET['room_id'];, and reject any non-integer values.
Replace inline SQL concatenation in receipt.php with prepared statements using PDO or mysqli with bound parameters.
Disable or remove the receipt endpoint if it is not required for business operations.

bash

# Example ModSecurity rule to block non-numeric room_id values
SecRule ARGS:room_id "!@rx ^[0-9]+$" \
  "id:1002524,phase:2,deny,status:403,\
   msg:'CVE-2024-2524 SQLi attempt on receipt.php room_id',\
   tag:'CWE-89'"