CVE-2024-29870: Sapplica Sentrifugo SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2024-29870 Overview

CVE-2024-29870 is a critical SQL injection vulnerability discovered in Sentrifugo 3.2, an open-source Human Resource Management System (HRMS). The vulnerability exists in the /sentrifugo/index.php/index/getdepartments/format/html endpoint through the business_id parameter. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could allow a remote unauthenticated attacker to send specially crafted SQL queries to the server and extract all data from the underlying database, potentially compromising sensitive employee information, payroll data, and organizational records.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated remote attackers can exploit this SQL injection vulnerability to extract sensitive HR data including employee records, payroll information, and organizational data from the Sentrifugo database.

Affected Products

• Sapplica Sentrifugo version 3.2

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-03-21 - CVE-2024-29870 published to NVD
• 2025-01-24 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-29870

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL injection vulnerability (CWE-89) affects the department retrieval functionality in Sentrifugo 3.2. The vulnerable endpoint /sentrifugo/index.php/index/getdepartments/format/html accepts a business_id parameter that is not properly sanitized before being incorporated into database queries. This allows attackers to inject malicious SQL commands that can manipulate the underlying database operations.

The vulnerability is classified as network-exploitable with no authentication required. An attacker does not need any privileges or user interaction to exploit this flaw, making it particularly dangerous for internet-facing Sentrifugo installations.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper input validation and lack of parameterized queries in the handling of the business_id parameter. The application fails to sanitize user-supplied input before using it in SQL statements, allowing attackers to break out of the intended query context and inject arbitrary SQL commands.

Attack Vector

The attack can be conducted remotely over the network by sending a malicious HTTP request to the vulnerable endpoint. An attacker would craft a request with a specially formatted business_id parameter containing SQL injection payloads. These payloads could include UNION-based injection to extract data from other tables, error-based injection to enumerate the database structure, or time-based blind injection techniques to exfiltrate data character by character.

The attack requires no authentication, meaning any external attacker with network access to the Sentrifugo application can attempt exploitation. Successful attacks could result in complete database compromise, including the ability to read, modify, or delete sensitive HR data.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-29870

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual or malformed HTTP requests to /sentrifugo/index.php/index/getdepartments/format/html containing SQL keywords or special characters in the business_id parameter
• Database error messages in application logs indicating SQL syntax errors
• Unexpected database queries or slow query logs showing UNION, SELECT, or other injection patterns
• Anomalous data access patterns in database audit logs

Detection Strategies

• Deploy web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns targeting the getdepartments endpoint
• Implement application-layer monitoring to flag requests with suspicious characters such as single quotes, semicolons, or SQL keywords in the business_id parameter
• Configure database query logging to identify anomalous queries originating from the Sentrifugo application

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed web server access logging and monitor for requests to the vulnerable endpoint with encoded or obfuscated SQL injection payloads
• Set up real-time alerting for database errors that may indicate exploitation attempts
• Review authentication and access logs for any unauthorized data access following suspicious requests

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-29870

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict network access to Sentrifugo installations, limiting exposure to trusted IP addresses only
• Implement WAF rules to block SQL injection attempts targeting the vulnerable endpoint
• Consider temporarily disabling the affected functionality until a patch is applied
• Review database access logs for signs of prior exploitation

Patch Information

At the time of this publication, no official vendor patch information was available in the CVE data. Organizations using Sentrifugo 3.2 should monitor the INCIBE Security Notice for updates regarding fixes and consult with Sapplica for remediation guidance.

Workarounds

• Implement input validation at the web application firewall level to sanitize or block requests containing SQL injection payloads in the business_id parameter
• Use network segmentation to isolate Sentrifugo from direct internet access
• Deploy a reverse proxy with request filtering capabilities to inspect and block malicious requests before they reach the application
• Consider implementing database-level access controls to limit the privileges of the application database user

# Example WAF rule to block SQL injection in business_id parameter
# Add to ModSecurity or similar WAF configuration
SecRule ARGS:business_id "@detectSQLi" \
    "id:100001,\
    phase:2,\
    deny,\
    status:403,\
    log,\
    msg:'SQL Injection attempt blocked in business_id parameter (CVE-2024-29870)'"