CVE-2024-3441: Fast5 Prison Management System SQLi Flaw

CVE-2024-3441 Overview

CVE-2024-3441 is a SQL injection vulnerability in SourceCodester Prison Management System 1.0, developed by Fast5. The flaw exists in the /Employee/edit-profile.php script, where unsanitized user input is passed directly into a database query. An authenticated remote attacker can manipulate query parameters to inject arbitrary SQL statements. The issue is tracked as VulDB identifier VDB-259694 and has been publicly disclosed. Because the exploit details are already available, opportunistic attacks against exposed deployments are feasible. The weakness maps to CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command.

Critical Impact
Remote authenticated attackers can execute arbitrary SQL against the backend database, resulting in full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of stored inmate, staff, and administrative records.

Affected Products

Fast5 Prison Management System 1.0
SourceCodester Prison Management System 1.0
/Employee/edit-profile.php endpoint

Discovery Timeline

2024-04-08 - CVE-2024-3441 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-3441

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the employee profile editing workflow of the Prison Management System. The /Employee/edit-profile.php script accepts user-supplied parameters and concatenates them into a SQL statement without parameterization or input validation. An attacker with access to the employee portal can submit crafted values that break out of the intended query context. The injected payload executes with the privileges of the database user configured for the application. Because typical PHP/MySQL deployments of this application run the database with broad privileges, attackers can read arbitrary tables, modify records, and in some configurations achieve command execution through INTO OUTFILE or stacked queries. The public disclosure includes exploit details, lowering the skill barrier for adversaries.

Root Cause

The root cause is the direct inclusion of untrusted HTTP request parameters into a SQL query string within edit-profile.php. The code path lacks prepared statements, parameter binding, and type validation. It also fails to apply an allow-list of expected input characters, leaving standard injection tokens such as single quotes, comments, and UNION operators fully functional.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires network access to the web application and a valid low-privileged employee account. An attacker submits a crafted POST or GET request to /Employee/edit-profile.php containing SQL metacharacters in a vulnerable parameter. No user interaction on the victim side is needed. The vulnerability manifests through standard SQL injection primitives against the MySQL backend. See the public write-up on GitHub for parameter-level details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-3441

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected POST or GET requests to /Employee/edit-profile.php containing SQL keywords such as UNION, SELECT, SLEEP, or --.
Web server access logs showing encoded payloads (%27, %20OR%201=1) targeting profile fields.
Unusual database error messages returned in HTTP responses referencing MySQL syntax.
Sudden creation, modification, or deletion of employee or inmate records without corresponding legitimate admin activity.

Detection Strategies

Deploy web application firewall signatures for SQL injection patterns targeting the edit-profile.php path.
Enable MySQL general query logging and alert on statements originating from the application user that include tautologies or UNION SELECT clauses.
Correlate authentication events with subsequent anomalous database read volumes from the same session.

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward web server, PHP-FPM, and MySQL logs to a centralized analytics platform for query-pattern review.
Baseline normal parameter values submitted to /Employee/* endpoints and alert on statistical outliers.
Monitor egress traffic from the application host for large database exports that may indicate data exfiltration.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-3441

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict network exposure of the Prison Management System to trusted internal networks or VPN users only.
Rotate all employee account credentials and enforce strong password policies to reduce risk of authenticated exploitation.
Review web server and database logs from April 2024 onward for indicators of injection activity against /Employee/edit-profile.php.
Take the application offline if it is internet-exposed and no compensating controls are in place.

Patch Information

At the time of publication, no official vendor patch is listed in the NVD entry or in the referenced VulDB advisory. Organizations running Prison Management System 1.0 should monitor the SourceCodester project for updates and consider migrating to an actively maintained platform. In the interim, apply source-level fixes by refactoring edit-profile.php to use PHP Data Objects (PDO) prepared statements with bound parameters.

Workarounds

Place the application behind a web application firewall with SQL injection rules tuned to block requests to /Employee/edit-profile.php containing SQL metacharacters.
Configure the MySQL application account with least-privilege access, removing FILE, CREATE, and DROP privileges where not required.
Add server-side input validation and enable PHP mysqli or PDO parameterized queries in any custom patches.

bash

# Example ModSecurity rule to block SQLi attempts against the vulnerable endpoint
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains /Employee/edit-profile.php" \
  "phase:2,deny,status:403,id:1002024344,\
  msg:'CVE-2024-3441 SQLi attempt against Prison Management System',\
  chain"
  SecRule ARGS "@rx (?i)(union(\s|\+)+select|sleep\(|--|/\*|\bor\b\s+1=1)" \
    "t:none,t:urlDecodeUni"