CVE-2024-49772: SuiteCRM SQL Injection Vulnerability

CVE-2024-49772 Overview

CVE-2024-49772 is a SQL injection vulnerability in SuiteCRM, an open-source enterprise Customer Relationship Management (CRM) application maintained by SalesAgility. The flaw affects SuiteCRM version 7.14.4 and stems from insufficient input validation on parameters reachable by authenticated users. An authenticated user with low privileges can inject SQL statements and exfiltrate arbitrary data from the underlying database. The issue is tracked under [CWE-89] and was resolved in releases 7.14.6 and 8.7.1. No workarounds are available, so upgrading is the required remediation path.

Critical Impact
A low-privileged authenticated user can leak the entire database contents through crafted SQL injection payloads, breaking confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Affected Products

SuiteCRM 7.14.4 (and earlier 7.14.x branch versions prior to 7.14.6)
SuiteCRM 8.x versions prior to 8.7.1
SalesAgility SuiteCRM open-source and enterprise deployments

Discovery Timeline

2024-11-05 - CVE-2024-49772 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-49772

Vulnerability Analysis

SuiteCRM 7.14.4 fails to properly validate or parameterize user-supplied input before incorporating it into SQL queries. An authenticated user, even one holding only low-privilege application roles, can craft request parameters that alter the structure of executed SQL statements. Because SuiteCRM stores customer records, contact data, sales pipelines, and configuration secrets in the same database, successful exploitation exposes the full corpus of business data. The vulnerability is classified under [CWE-89] Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper input validation on request parameters consumed by database access routines. Rather than binding user input as parameters, the affected code paths concatenate values into SQL strings, allowing metacharacters to change query semantics. This pattern is a common source of injection flaws in long-lived PHP CRM codebases.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires network access to the SuiteCRM web application and a valid authenticated session with low privileges. An attacker submits crafted HTTP requests containing SQL syntax within vulnerable parameters. The backend then executes the modified query, allowing the attacker to read arbitrary tables, including credential material and personally identifiable information. See the GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-4xj8-hr85-hm3m for coordinated disclosure details. No public proof-of-concept exploit code is available in NVD-referenced sources.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-49772

Indicators of Compromise

HTTP requests to SuiteCRM endpoints containing SQL metacharacters such as UNION SELECT, --, /*, 0x, or information_schema in query string or POST body parameters.
Database logs showing queries that reference information_schema.tables, users table dumps, or unusually long SELECT statements originating from the SuiteCRM application user.
Spikes in response size or response time on authenticated SuiteCRM URLs correlated with a single session or IP address.
Web server access logs showing repeated 200 responses to the same endpoint with mutating parameter values, indicative of injection probing.

Detection Strategies

Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) rule set (for example, OWASP CRS) tuned to flag SQL injection signatures against SuiteCRM URIs.
Enable MySQL or MariaDB general query logging temporarily and alert on queries containing UNION-based patterns from the SuiteCRM service account.
Correlate authentication events with sudden access to high-value tables to identify low-privileged accounts touching data outside their normal scope.

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward SuiteCRM application, web server, and database logs to a centralized analytics platform and retain them for a minimum of 90 days.
Establish a baseline of legitimate query volume per authenticated user and alert on deviations exceeding two standard deviations.
Monitor for creation of new administrative accounts or unexpected password hash reads that could follow successful data exfiltration.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-49772

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade SuiteCRM to version 7.14.6 for the 7.x branch or 8.7.1 for the 8.x branch without delay.
Audit SuiteCRM user accounts and disable any inactive or unnecessary low-privilege accounts that could be leveraged by an attacker.
Rotate database credentials, API keys, and any secrets stored in the SuiteCRM database after patching, assuming compromise until logs prove otherwise.
Review database and application logs for the indicators listed above covering the full exposure window prior to patching.

Patch Information

SalesAgility addressed the vulnerability in SuiteCRM 7.14.6 and 8.7.1. Refer to the SuiteCRM Security Advisory GHSA-4xj8-hr85-hm3m for release notes and upgrade guidance. Apply patches in a staging environment first, verify custom modules, then promote to production.

Workarounds

No vendor-supplied workarounds exist for CVE-2024-49772; upgrading is the only supported remediation.
As a compensating control until patching completes, restrict SuiteCRM access to trusted networks via VPN or IP allowlisting and enforce multi-factor authentication to raise the bar for account compromise.
Place a WAF in blocking mode in front of SuiteCRM with SQL injection rules enabled to reduce the exploitation window.

bash

# Example upgrade path for SuiteCRM 7.x on a Linux host
cd /var/www/suitecrm
php -r "echo 'current version: '; include 'suitecrm_version.php'; echo PHP_EOL;"
# Back up files and database before upgrading
mysqldump -u suitecrm -p suitecrm_db > /backup/suitecrm_db_$(date +%F).sql
tar czf /backup/suitecrm_files_$(date +%F).tgz /var/www/suitecrm
# Download and apply SuiteCRM 7.14.6 (or 8.7.1) per vendor upgrade guide
# https://github.com/salesagility/SuiteCRM/releases