CVE-2024-6191: Student Management System SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2024-6191 Overview

A critical SQL injection vulnerability has been identified in itsourcecode Student Management System version 1.0. This vulnerability exists in the login.php file within the Login Page component, where improper handling of the user argument allows attackers to inject malicious SQL queries. The vulnerability can be exploited remotely without authentication, potentially compromising the entire student management database.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated remote attackers can exploit this SQL injection flaw to bypass authentication, extract sensitive student data, modify database records, or potentially gain further access to the underlying system.

Affected Products

• itsourcecode Student Management System 1.0
• Angeljudesuarez Student Management System 1.0

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-06-20 - CVE-2024-6191 published to NVD
• 2024-11-21 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-6191

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL injection vulnerability (CWE-89) is a classic example of improper neutralization of special elements used in SQL commands. The login.php file fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input in the user parameter before incorporating it into SQL queries. This allows an attacker to manipulate the query logic by injecting malicious SQL syntax through the authentication form.

The vulnerability is particularly severe because it exists in the login mechanism, which is the primary entry point for application access. By exploiting this flaw, attackers can bypass authentication entirely, enumerate database contents, or execute administrative operations against the database server.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the lack of proper input validation and parameterized queries in the login.php file. The application directly concatenates user-supplied input into SQL statements without sanitization or the use of prepared statements. This is a fundamental secure coding failure that allows SQL metacharacters to be interpreted as part of the query structure rather than as literal data.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for CVE-2024-6191 is network-based, requiring no authentication or user interaction. An attacker can craft a malicious HTTP request to the login.php endpoint with specially crafted SQL injection payloads in the user parameter.

A typical exploitation scenario involves submitting authentication bypass payloads such as ' OR '1'='1' -- or more sophisticated techniques to extract data using UNION-based or blind SQL injection methods. The exploit has been publicly disclosed, increasing the risk of widespread exploitation against unpatched installations.

For technical details and proof-of-concept information, refer to the GitHub Issue Discussion and VulDB Entry #269163.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-6191

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual database query patterns or errors in web server logs associated with login.php
• Failed login attempts with SQL syntax characters such as single quotes, double dashes, or UNION keywords
• Database logs showing unexpected SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE operations
• Access to administrative functions or data by unauthorized users

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect SQL injection patterns targeting the user parameter
• Monitor application logs for requests containing SQL keywords (SELECT, UNION, OR, AND) in form fields
• Deploy database activity monitoring to detect anomalous query patterns originating from the web application
• Use SentinelOne Singularity Platform to detect exploitation attempts and suspicious database-related behavior

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging on the web server to capture all POST parameters to login.php
• Configure database audit logging to track authentication-related queries
• Set up alerting for multiple failed authentication attempts with malformed input
• Monitor for data exfiltration patterns that may indicate successful exploitation

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-6191

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict network access to the Student Management System to trusted IP ranges only
• Implement a Web Application Firewall with SQL injection detection rules in front of the application
• Consider taking the affected application offline until a patch or workaround can be implemented
• Review database access logs for evidence of prior exploitation

Patch Information

As of the last NVD update on 2024-11-21, no official vendor patch has been released for this vulnerability. Organizations using itsourcecode Student Management System 1.0 should contact the vendor for remediation guidance or consider implementing the workarounds described below. Monitor VulDB Entry #269163 for updates on patch availability.

Workarounds

• Implement input validation to reject SQL metacharacters in the user parameter
• Modify login.php to use prepared statements with parameterized queries instead of string concatenation
• Deploy a reverse proxy or WAF to filter malicious SQL injection payloads before they reach the application
• Restrict database user privileges to limit the impact of successful SQL injection attacks

# Example: Apache mod_security rule to block basic SQL injection attempts
SecRule ARGS:user "@rx (?i)(\b(select|union|insert|update|delete|drop|alter|create)\b|--|'|;)" \
    "id:1001,phase:2,deny,status:403,msg:'SQL Injection attempt blocked in user parameter'"