CVE-2024-5519: Learning Management System SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2024-5519 Overview

A critical SQL Injection vulnerability was discovered in ItsourceCode Learning Management System Project In PHP version 1.0. This vulnerability affects the login.php file, where improper handling of the user_email argument allows attackers to inject malicious SQL statements. The attack can be executed remotely without authentication, making it a significant security concern for any deployment of this learning management system.

Critical Impact

This SQL Injection vulnerability allows remote attackers to manipulate database queries through the login interface, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, data modification, or complete database compromise.

Affected Products

• ItsourceCode Learning Management System 1.0
• Applications using the vulnerable login.php authentication module
• PHP-based LMS deployments with default configurations

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-05-30 - CVE-2024-5519 published to NVD
• 2025-02-11 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-5519

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL Injection vulnerability (CWE-89) exists in the authentication mechanism of the Learning Management System. The login.php file fails to properly sanitize the user_email parameter before incorporating it into SQL queries. This allows attackers to inject arbitrary SQL commands that will be executed by the database server. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous as it affects the authentication system, potentially allowing attackers to bypass login controls entirely or extract sensitive user credentials and data from the backend database.

The network-accessible nature of this vulnerability means that any instance of this LMS exposed to the internet is at risk. No authentication is required to exploit this flaw, as the injection point is within the login form itself—the entry point for unauthenticated users.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper input validation and sanitization of the user_email parameter in the login.php file. User-supplied input is directly concatenated into SQL queries without using parameterized queries or prepared statements, which is the industry-standard approach to preventing SQL Injection attacks. This fundamental coding error allows attackers to break out of the intended query structure and inject their own SQL commands.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-based and requires no user interaction or prior authentication. An attacker can craft a malicious HTTP request to the login.php endpoint with a specially crafted user_email parameter containing SQL injection payloads. Common attack techniques include:

• Using boolean-based blind SQL injection to enumerate database contents
• Employing UNION-based attacks to extract data from other tables
• Leveraging time-based blind injection for data exfiltration when error messages are suppressed
• Attempting authentication bypass by manipulating query logic

The vulnerability has been publicly disclosed, and technical details are available through the GitHub CVE Issue Discussion, increasing the likelihood of exploitation attempts.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-5519

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual SQL syntax patterns appearing in web server logs for login.php requests
• Authentication events with anomalous user_email values containing SQL keywords like SELECT, UNION, OR, --, or '
• Database errors or unexpected query execution times during login attempts
• Evidence of unauthorized data access or unusual database query patterns

Detection Strategies

• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in form submissions
• Implement input validation monitoring on the login.php endpoint to flag suspicious characters and SQL keywords
• Enable database query logging and monitor for anomalous query structures originating from the web application
• Configure intrusion detection systems to alert on SQL injection attack signatures targeting authentication endpoints

Monitoring Recommendations

• Establish baseline authentication traffic patterns and alert on deviations in request volume or structure
• Monitor database performance metrics for unusual query execution times that may indicate blind SQL injection attempts
• Review web server access logs regularly for reconnaissance activity targeting login.php
• Implement real-time alerting for failed authentication attempts with malformed email parameters

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-5519

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict network access to the Learning Management System to trusted IP ranges until patches are applied
• Deploy Web Application Firewall rules to block common SQL injection payloads targeting the user_email parameter
• Consider temporarily disabling the affected login.php functionality if alternative authentication methods are available
• Audit database logs for signs of prior exploitation and assess potential data exposure

Patch Information

No official vendor patch has been identified at the time of this writing. Organizations using ItsourceCode Learning Management System 1.0 should monitor the vendor's channels for security updates. For additional technical context, refer to the VulDB entry #266590 and the GitHub CVE Issue Discussion.

Workarounds

• Implement input sanitization at the application layer by modifying login.php to use prepared statements with parameterized queries
• Deploy a reverse proxy with SQL injection filtering capabilities in front of the application
• Restrict database user privileges for the LMS application to minimize the impact of successful exploitation
• Consider migrating to an actively maintained Learning Management System if vendor support is unavailable

# Example WAF rule concept for ModSecurity to block SQL injection in email fields
# Add to your ModSecurity configuration
SecRule ARGS:user_email "@detectSQLi" \
    "id:100001,\
    phase:2,\
    deny,\
    status:403,\
    log,\
    msg:'SQL Injection attempt detected in user_email parameter'"