CVE-2024-40502: Hospital Management System SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2024-40502 Overview

CVE-2024-40502 is a critical SQL injection vulnerability affecting the Hospital Management System Project in ASP.Net MVC 1. The vulnerability exists in the btn_login_b_Click function of the Loginpage.aspx file, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code against the underlying database through maliciously crafted input parameters.

Critical Impact

This SQL injection vulnerability allows unauthenticated remote attackers to bypass authentication, extract sensitive patient data, modify database records, and potentially achieve full system compromise through arbitrary code execution.

Affected Products

• Angeljudesuarez Hospital Management System version 1.0
• Hospital Management System Project in ASP.Net MVC 1

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-07-22 - CVE-2024-40502 published to NVD
• 2025-05-16 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-40502

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL injection vulnerability (CWE-89) resides in the login functionality of the Hospital Management System. The btn_login_b_Click function in Loginpage.aspx fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before incorporating it into SQL queries. When users submit login credentials, the application directly concatenates these values into database queries without adequate parameterization or input validation.

The vulnerability is particularly severe in the context of a healthcare management system, where databases typically contain highly sensitive Protected Health Information (PHI), patient records, medical histories, and administrative credentials. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to patient data, manipulation of medical records, and complete database compromise.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2024-40502 is improper input validation and the use of unsanitized user input in SQL query construction. The btn_login_b_Click function directly concatenates user-supplied values (username and password) into SQL statements without using parameterized queries or prepared statements. This classic SQL injection pattern allows attackers to inject malicious SQL syntax that alters the intended query logic.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, requiring no authentication or user interaction. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by submitting specially crafted SQL syntax through the login form fields on Loginpage.aspx. The injected SQL commands are executed directly against the backend database with the privileges of the application's database connection.

Common exploitation techniques include:

• Authentication bypass using payloads such as ' OR '1'='1 in login fields
• Union-based SQL injection to extract data from other tables
• Blind SQL injection techniques to enumerate database structure
• Stacked queries to execute additional malicious SQL statements

For technical details and proof-of-concept information, refer to the Packet Storm SQL Injection Exploit advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-40502

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual login attempts with SQL syntax characters (single quotes, double dashes, semicolons) in request parameters
• Database error messages appearing in application responses or logs
• Unexpected database queries containing UNION SELECT, OR 1=1, or -- comment sequences
• Abnormal database activity such as bulk data extraction or unauthorized table access

Detection Strategies

• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block common SQL injection patterns in HTTP requests
• Monitor IIS and ASP.NET application logs for requests containing SQL metacharacters targeting Loginpage.aspx
• Implement database query logging to identify anomalous SQL statements originating from the application
• Configure intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for SQL injection attack patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for all authentication attempts on the Hospital Management System
• Set up alerts for multiple failed login attempts containing special characters
• Monitor database audit logs for privilege escalation attempts or unauthorized data access
• Review network traffic for unusual outbound connections that may indicate data exfiltration

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-40502

Immediate Actions Required

• Remove the Hospital Management System from public network access until patched
• Place the application behind a Web Application Firewall with SQL injection protection enabled
• Implement network segmentation to limit database access from untrusted sources
• Review database logs for evidence of prior exploitation attempts

Patch Information

No official vendor patch is currently available from the developer. Users should contact the project maintainer via the Itsourcecode Author Page for remediation guidance. The original project can be found at the Hospital Management System Project page.

Given the lack of an official patch, organizations using this software should consider implementing code-level fixes by converting dynamic SQL queries to parameterized queries using ADO.NET SqlParameter objects.

Workarounds

• Implement parameterized queries in the btn_login_b_Click function to prevent SQL injection
• Deploy input validation that rejects SQL metacharacters in login form fields
• Use stored procedures with parameterized inputs for all database operations
• Consider replacing the vulnerable application with a security-audited alternative

# Configuration example
# IIS Request Filtering - Block common SQL injection patterns
# Add to web.config in the application root
# <security>
#   <requestFiltering>
#     <filteringRules>
#       <filteringRule name="SQLInjection" scanUrl="true" scanQueryString="true">
#         <denyStrings>
#           <add string="--"/>
#           <add string=";"/>
#           <add string="/*"/>
#           <add string="xp_"/>
#           <add string="UNION"/>
#         </denyStrings>
#       </filteringRule>
#     </filteringRules>
#   </requestFiltering>
# </security>