CVE-2024-45771: Openrapid RapidCMS SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2024-45771 Overview

CVE-2024-45771 is a SQL Injection vulnerability discovered in RapidCMS v1.3.1. The vulnerability exists in the password parameter at /resource/runlogin.php, allowing unauthenticated attackers to inject malicious SQL commands through network-accessible login functionality. This flaw enables attackers to bypass authentication, extract sensitive data, modify database contents, or potentially achieve full system compromise.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated SQL injection in the login endpoint allows complete database compromise, authentication bypass, and potential remote code execution through database functions.

Affected Products

• OpenRapid RapidCMS version 1.3.1

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-09-06 - CVE-2024-45771 published to NVD
• 2025-04-22 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-45771

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL Injection vulnerability (CWE-89) affects the authentication mechanism in RapidCMS v1.3.1. The vulnerable endpoint /resource/runlogin.php 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 and execute arbitrary SQL commands against the underlying database.

The vulnerability is particularly severe because it exists in the login functionality, which is accessible without prior authentication. An attacker can exploit this flaw to bypass authentication entirely, extract sensitive information including user credentials and other stored data, modify or delete database records, or potentially leverage database features to achieve remote code execution on the underlying server.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper input validation and the lack of parameterized queries (prepared statements) in the login handling code. The password parameter value is directly concatenated into SQL queries without proper escaping or sanitization, creating a classic SQL injection attack surface. This represents a fundamental secure coding failure where user input is trusted and directly incorporated into database queries.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based and requires no authentication or user interaction. An attacker can craft malicious HTTP requests to the /resource/runlogin.php endpoint with specially crafted SQL payloads in the password parameter. Common exploitation techniques include:

• Authentication Bypass: Using payloads like ' OR '1'='1 to bypass login checks
• Union-Based Extraction: Leveraging UNION SELECT statements to extract data from other tables
• Blind SQL Injection: Using time-based or boolean-based techniques when direct output is not available
• Stacked Queries: Executing multiple SQL statements to modify data or invoke dangerous functions

For detailed technical analysis of this vulnerability, see the GitHub Issue Discussion.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-45771

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual login attempts with SQL metacharacters (single quotes, semicolons, UNION keywords) in request parameters
• Database error messages appearing in application responses indicating SQL syntax errors
• Unexpected database query patterns or excessive query execution times
• Anomalous data access patterns in database audit logs
• Web server logs showing requests to /resource/runlogin.php with encoded SQL payloads

Detection Strategies

• Deploy Web Application Firewalls (WAF) with SQL injection detection rules targeting the login endpoint
• Enable verbose logging on the web server and monitor for requests containing SQL keywords in POST parameters
• Implement database activity monitoring to detect anomalous query patterns and unauthorized data access
• Use intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for common SQL injection attack patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor authentication logs for repeated failed login attempts followed by successful authentication
• Set up alerts for database queries containing UNION, SELECT, DROP, or other dangerous SQL keywords
• Implement rate limiting on the login endpoint to slow down automated exploitation attempts
• Review web application logs for requests with unusually long password parameter values

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-45771

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict network access to RapidCMS administrative interfaces using firewall rules or VPN requirements
• Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with SQL injection protection rules in front of the application
• Monitor database and web server logs for signs of exploitation attempts
• Consider taking the affected application offline if it contains sensitive data until a patch is available

Patch Information

As of the last update on 2025-04-22, no official vendor patch has been released for this vulnerability. Users should monitor the RapidCMS GitHub repository for updates and security advisories. Consider migrating to an alternative CMS solution that is actively maintained if a patch is not released in a timely manner.

Workarounds

• Implement input validation at the web server level to reject requests containing SQL metacharacters in the password field
• Use a reverse proxy with ModSecurity or similar WAF capabilities to filter malicious requests
• Restrict access to /resource/runlogin.php to trusted IP addresses only
• Apply custom code patches to implement parameterized queries in the authentication module if source code access is available

# Example ModSecurity rule to block SQL injection attempts on login endpoint
# Add to ModSecurity configuration
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains /resource/runlogin.php" \
    "id:100001,phase:2,deny,status:403,msg:'SQL Injection Attempt Blocked',\
    chain"
SecRule ARGS:password "@detectSQLi" "t:none"