CVE-2024-31678: Loan Management System SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2024-31678 Overview

CVE-2024-31678 is a critical SQL Injection vulnerability affecting Sourcecodester Loan Management System v1.0. The vulnerability exists in the password parameter within the login.php file, allowing unauthenticated attackers to inject malicious SQL queries through the application's authentication mechanism.

Critical Impact

This SQL Injection vulnerability enables attackers to bypass authentication, extract sensitive financial and personal data from the loan management database, and potentially gain complete control over the underlying database server.

Affected Products

• Razormist Loan Management System version 1.0

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-04-11 - CVE-2024-31678 published to NVD
• 2025-04-08 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-31678

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL Injection vulnerability (CWE-89) resides in the authentication mechanism of the Loan Management System. The login.php file fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input in the password parameter before incorporating it into SQL queries. This allows attackers to manipulate the query logic by injecting malicious SQL statements directly through the login form.

The vulnerability is particularly severe because it targets the authentication endpoint, meaning no prior authentication is required to exploit it. An attacker can craft malicious input that alters the intended SQL query behavior, potentially bypassing authentication entirely or extracting sensitive data from the database.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper input validation and the use of unsanitized user input in SQL query construction. The application fails to implement prepared statements or parameterized queries when handling the password parameter in the login functionality. Instead, user input is likely concatenated directly into the SQL query string, creating an injection point that attackers can exploit.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, requiring no privileges or user interaction. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability remotely by sending crafted HTTP requests to the login.php endpoint with malicious SQL payloads in the password parameter.

A typical attack scenario involves an attacker sending authentication requests containing SQL injection payloads such as boolean-based blind injection, time-based blind injection, or UNION-based injection techniques. By manipulating the password field, attackers can alter query logic to bypass authentication checks (e.g., using payloads that always evaluate to true), extract database contents including user credentials and financial records, or potentially execute administrative operations on the database server.

For more technical details, refer to the GitHub CVE Discussion Thread.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-31678

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual login attempts containing special SQL characters such as single quotes, double dashes, or UNION keywords in authentication logs
• Database error messages exposed in HTTP responses indicating failed SQL query execution
• Anomalous database queries or unexpected data extraction patterns in database audit logs
• Multiple failed authentication attempts from a single source with varying payload patterns

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block common SQL injection patterns in POST parameters targeting login.php
• Monitor application logs for authentication requests containing SQL metacharacters in the password field
• Deploy database activity monitoring to identify suspicious query patterns indicative of injection attacks
• Use intrusion detection systems with signatures for SQL injection attack patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging on the web server for all requests to login.php and related authentication endpoints
• Configure database audit logging to capture all queries executed against user and authentication tables
• Set up alerts for unusual patterns such as repeated authentication failures or unexpected query syntax errors
• Monitor for data exfiltration indicators such as large result sets or atypical database response times

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-31678

Immediate Actions Required

• Take the Loan Management System offline or restrict access to trusted networks only until patching is complete
• Implement a Web Application Firewall with SQL injection protection rules in front of the application
• Review database logs for evidence of prior exploitation and potential data breach
• Rotate all database credentials and application secrets as a precautionary measure

Patch Information

No official patch has been released by the vendor at this time. Organizations using Razormist Loan Management System v1.0 should consider the workarounds below and monitor for vendor updates. For additional context, see the GitHub CVE Discussion Thread.

Workarounds

• Implement prepared statements and parameterized queries in the login.php file to prevent SQL injection
• Deploy input validation and sanitization for all user-supplied parameters before database operations
• Use a Web Application Firewall configured to block SQL injection attempts targeting the login endpoint
• Restrict network access to the application to authorized IP ranges only until a proper fix is implemented

# Example WAF rule for ModSecurity to block SQL injection in login parameters
SecRule ARGS:password "@detectSQLi" \
    "id:1001,\
    phase:2,\
    block,\
    msg:'SQL Injection attempt detected in password parameter',\
    log,\
    severity:'CRITICAL'"