CVE-2024-7224: Lot Reservation Management SQL Injection

CVE-2024-7224 Overview

CVE-2024-7224 is a SQL injection vulnerability in SourceCodester Lot Reservation Management System 1.0, developed by oretnom23. The flaw resides in the /lot_details.php endpoint, where the id parameter is incorporated into a SQL query without proper sanitization. Remote attackers can manipulate this parameter to alter the underlying query logic and extract or modify database contents. The exploit has been publicly disclosed under VulDB identifier VDB-272804, increasing the risk of opportunistic attacks against exposed deployments. The weakness is classified under [CWE-89] (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command).

Critical Impact

Authenticated remote attackers can execute arbitrary SQL queries through the id parameter of /lot_details.php, exposing reservation records and potentially escalating to full database compromise.

Affected Products

• SourceCodester Lot Reservation Management System 1.0
• oretnom23 lot_reservation_management_system package
• Deployments referencing cpe:2.3:a:oretnom23:lot_reservation_management_system:1.0

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-07-30 - CVE-2024-7224 published to NVD
• 2024-11-21 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-7224

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a classic in-band SQL injection in the lot_details.php script. The application concatenates the user-supplied id GET parameter directly into a SQL statement that retrieves lot reservation details. Because the parameter is not validated, type-cast, or bound through a prepared statement, an attacker can append SQL syntax to break out of the original query context.

Successful exploitation can enumerate database schema, extract administrator credentials, or modify reservation records. The attack is remotely launchable over the network and requires only low-privileged access to the application interface. Public proof-of-concept material has been published on GitHub Gist, lowering the barrier for exploitation against internet-exposed instances.

Root Cause

The root cause is the absence of parameterized queries in /lot_details.php. The script trusts the id parameter and inserts it directly into the SQL string passed to the MySQL driver. PHP's mysqli or PDO prepared statement APIs are not used, and no allow-list or numeric cast is applied to the input before query construction.

Attack Vector

An attacker sends a crafted HTTP request to /lot_details.php?id=<payload> where <payload> contains SQL meta-characters such as ', UNION SELECT, or boolean-based blind injection clauses. The malicious clause is appended to the original query, allowing the attacker to retrieve arbitrary columns from any accessible table. No user interaction is required, and the attack can be automated using common tooling such as sqlmap.

A proof-of-concept payload pattern is documented in the publicly available GitHub Gist PoC Code and the VulDB advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-7224

Indicators of Compromise

• HTTP requests to /lot_details.php containing SQL meta-characters such as ', --, /*, UNION, SELECT, or SLEEP( in the id parameter.
• Web server access logs showing repeated requests to /lot_details.php with incrementing or boolean-style payloads characteristic of automated tools like sqlmap.
• Database errors or unusually long response times correlated with requests to /lot_details.php.
• Outbound traffic from the web server to attacker-controlled hosts following suspicious lot_details.php requests.

Detection Strategies

• Deploy web application firewall (WAF) rules that inspect the id parameter on /lot_details.php for SQL injection signatures.
• Enable database query logging and alert on syntactically anomalous queries originating from the web application user.
• Correlate HTTP 500 responses from lot_details.php with the source IP to identify probing attempts.

Monitoring Recommendations

• Forward web server and database logs to a centralized SIEM and create detections for known SQL injection patterns.
• Monitor user-agent strings for known scanner signatures such as sqlmap, nikto, or wfuzz.
• Track authentication and reservation tables for unexpected reads or modifications outside of business hours.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-7224

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict network access to the Lot Reservation Management System to trusted users until a fix is applied.
• Place a WAF in front of the application with rules blocking SQL injection payloads targeting /lot_details.php.
• Rotate database credentials and application administrator passwords if exploitation is suspected.
• Review database audit logs for unauthorized SELECT, UPDATE, or DROP statements.

Patch Information

No vendor advisory or official patch has been published for SourceCodester Lot Reservation Management System 1.0 at the time of writing. Administrators should consult the VulDB entry for status updates. In the absence of a vendor patch, organizations should modify lot_details.php in-house to use prepared statements with bound parameters and enforce a numeric cast on the id value.

Workarounds

• Replace string concatenation in lot_details.php with mysqli or PDO prepared statements that bind the id parameter as an integer.
• Apply server-side input validation that rejects any id value that is not a positive integer.
• Run the application database account with least-privilege permissions, removing rights such as FILE, DROP, and access to unrelated schemas.
• Consider decommissioning the application if it is not actively maintained, as the vendor has a history of unpatched disclosures.

# Example hardening: enforce numeric id at the web server layer (nginx)
location = /lot_details.php {
    if ($arg_id !~ "^[0-9]+$") {
        return 400;
    }
    include fastcgi_params;
    fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php-fpm.sock;
}