CVE-2024-2554: Employee Task Management System SQLi Flaw

CVE-2024-2554 Overview

CVE-2024-2554 is a SQL injection vulnerability in SourceCodester Employee Task Management System 1.0, developed by oretnom23. The flaw resides in update-employee.php, where the admin_id parameter is passed to a database query without proper sanitization [CWE-89]. Attackers with low-privileged access can exploit this remotely over the network to manipulate backend SQL statements. The exploit has been publicly disclosed, increasing the risk of opportunistic attacks against exposed instances.

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation allows attackers to read, modify, or delete database records, potentially leading to full compromise of the application's data confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Affected Products

SourceCodester Employee Task Management System 1.0
oretnom23 employee_task_management_system 1.0
Deployments using the vulnerable update-employee.php endpoint

Discovery Timeline

2024-03-17 - CVE-2024-2554 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-2554

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability exists in the update-employee.php script of the Employee Task Management System. The script accepts the admin_id HTTP parameter and concatenates the value directly into a SQL statement executed against the backend database. Because user-controlled input is not parameterized or escaped, attackers can inject arbitrary SQL syntax.

An authenticated attacker with minimal privileges can supply crafted admin_id values to read arbitrary tables, extract credentials, or modify records. The attack requires no user interaction and can be launched remotely over HTTP. Publicly available exploit details lower the barrier for automated scanning and mass exploitation of exposed installations.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper neutralization of special elements used in an SQL command [CWE-89]. The update-employee.php handler builds queries using string concatenation with the admin_id parameter rather than prepared statements with bound parameters. This design flaw allows attacker-supplied SQL fragments to alter query logic.

Attack Vector

Exploitation occurs over the network against a reachable web instance. The attacker submits a modified admin_id value, typically via a GET or POST request to update-employee.php, containing SQL syntax such as boolean-based, time-based, or UNION-based payloads. The manipulated query returns attacker-controlled data or performs unauthorized writes against the underlying database. See the GitHub Vulnerability Report for the disclosed proof-of-concept details.

No verified exploit code is reproduced here. Refer to the VulDB entry #257053 for additional technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-2554

Indicators of Compromise

HTTP requests to update-employee.php containing SQL metacharacters such as single quotes, UNION, SLEEP(, or -- in the admin_id parameter.
Web server logs showing repeated requests to update-employee.php from a single source with varying admin_id values.
Unexpected database errors or anomalous query response times originating from the Employee Task Management System backend.
New or modified administrator accounts in the application database without corresponding legitimate activity.

Detection Strategies

Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule that inspects and blocks SQL injection patterns targeting the admin_id parameter.
Enable database query logging and alert on queries against the employee or admin tables that contain unexpected syntax or tautologies.
Correlate web access logs with database audit logs to identify injection attempts that reached the database engine.

Monitoring Recommendations

Monitor HTTP 500 responses and database error messages emitted by update-employee.php.
Track authentication events for administrative accounts and flag logins immediately following requests to the vulnerable endpoint.
Baseline normal request patterns for the application and alert on spikes in parameter-tampering activity.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-2554

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict network access to the Employee Task Management System, limiting exposure to trusted internal networks or VPN users only.
Audit the application's database for unauthorized changes, new admin accounts, or exfiltrated records.
Rotate any credentials, API keys, or secrets stored in the affected database if compromise is suspected.

Patch Information

No official vendor patch has been published for SourceCodester Employee Task Management System 1.0 at the time of writing. Organizations should track the VulDB entry for updates or consider migrating away from the affected application.

Workarounds

Modify update-employee.php to use parameterized queries or prepared statements for all database operations involving admin_id.
Implement strict server-side input validation to ensure admin_id only accepts expected numeric values.
Deploy WAF rules that block SQL injection payloads targeting the vulnerable endpoint until code-level fixes are applied.
Enforce least-privilege database accounts so the web application cannot execute administrative SQL commands.

bash

# Example ModSecurity rule to block SQLi attempts against update-employee.php
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains update-employee.php" \
  "chain,deny,status:403,id:1002554,msg:'Potential SQLi CVE-2024-2554'"
SecRule ARGS:admin_id "@detectSQLi" "t:none"