CVE-2024-6113: Monbela Tourist Inn SQL Injection Flaw

CVE-2024-6113 Overview

A critical SQL Injection vulnerability has been identified in itsourcecode Monbela Tourist Inn Online Reservation System version 1.0. The vulnerability exists in the login.php file where improper handling of the email parameter allows attackers to inject malicious SQL queries. This flaw can be exploited remotely without authentication, potentially compromising the entire database backend of the reservation system.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this SQL injection vulnerability to bypass authentication, extract sensitive guest information, modify booking records, or potentially gain complete control over the underlying database server.

Affected Products

• Janobe Monbela Tourist Inn Online Reservation System 1.0
• itsourcecode Monbela Tourist Inn Online Reservation System 1.0

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-06-20 - CVE-2024-6113 published to NVD
• 2024-11-21 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-6113

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL injection vulnerability affects the authentication mechanism of the Monbela Tourist Inn Online Reservation System. The login.php file fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input in the email parameter before incorporating it into SQL queries. When a user submits their email address during the login process, the application directly concatenates this input into a database query without adequate validation or parameterization.

The vulnerability can be exploited remotely over the network with low attack complexity. No authentication or user interaction is required for exploitation, making this a particularly dangerous flaw. Successful exploitation could allow attackers to bypass authentication controls, extract sensitive customer data including personal information and payment details, modify or delete booking records, and potentially execute administrative commands on the database server.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2024-6113 is improper input validation and the use of unsanitized user input in database queries. The login.php file constructs SQL queries by directly concatenating the email parameter value without using prepared statements or parameterized queries. This violates secure coding practices and allows attackers to manipulate the query structure by injecting SQL metacharacters and additional SQL commands.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability is network-based, allowing remote exploitation. An attacker can craft a malicious HTTP request to the login.php endpoint with a specially crafted email parameter containing SQL injection payloads. Common attack techniques include:

• Using single quotes and boolean logic to bypass authentication (e.g., ' OR '1'='1)
• Employing UNION-based injection to extract data from other database tables
• Utilizing time-based blind SQL injection to enumerate database contents
• Executing stacked queries to perform data manipulation or administrative actions

The vulnerability allows attackers to interact with the backend database without any authentication, potentially exposing all guest records, reservation details, and administrative credentials stored in the system.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-6113

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual SQL syntax or error messages appearing in web application logs
• Unexpected database queries containing UNION SELECT, OR 1=1, or comment sequences (--) in the email parameter
• Multiple failed login attempts with SQL metacharacters in the email field
• Database audit logs showing unauthorized data access or extraction patterns

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in HTTP POST requests to login.php
• Monitor application logs for SQL syntax errors or database exceptions triggered by malformed email inputs
• Deploy intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for common SQL injection attack patterns
• Review database query logs for anomalous queries originating from the web application

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for the login.php endpoint and monitor for suspicious input patterns
• Set up alerts for database errors or exceptions that may indicate attempted SQL injection attacks
• Implement database activity monitoring to detect unauthorized data access or extraction
• Monitor network traffic for large data transfers from the database server that could indicate data exfiltration

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-6113

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict access to the Monbela Tourist Inn Online Reservation System to trusted networks only until a patch is applied
• Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with SQL injection protection rules in front of the application
• Review and audit database access logs for any signs of prior exploitation
• Change all database credentials and administrative passwords as a precautionary measure

Patch Information

At the time of this publication, no official vendor patch has been released for CVE-2024-6113. Organizations using the affected software should contact itsourcecode or the vendor for remediation guidance. In the absence of an official patch, implementing the recommended workarounds and security controls is essential. For additional technical details, refer to the GitHub CVE Issue Discussion and VulDB #268865.

Workarounds

• Modify the login.php file to use prepared statements with parameterized queries instead of direct string concatenation
• Implement server-side input validation to reject email addresses containing SQL metacharacters
• Deploy a reverse proxy or WAF with SQL injection filtering capabilities to protect the vulnerable endpoint
• Consider taking the system offline or restricting access until proper code remediation can be performed

# Example WAF rule to block SQL injection in email parameter
# ModSecurity Rule Example
SecRule ARGS:email "@detectSQLi" \
    "id:1001,\
    phase:2,\
    deny,\
    status:403,\
    msg:'SQL Injection attempt detected in email parameter',\
    log,\
    auditlog"