CVE-2024-7281: Lot Reservation Management System SQLi Flaw

CVE-2024-7281 Overview

CVE-2024-7281 is a SQL injection vulnerability in SourceCodester Lot Reservation Management System 1.0, developed by oretnom23. The flaw exists in the /admin/index.php?page=manage_lot endpoint, where the id parameter is passed directly into a database query without proper sanitization. Attackers with low-privilege authenticated access can manipulate the parameter to inject arbitrary SQL statements. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable over the network and a public proof-of-concept has been disclosed. The flaw is tracked under VulDB identifier 273150 and is categorized under CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command).

Critical Impact

Authenticated attackers can extract, modify, or delete database contents by injecting SQL through the id parameter, compromising confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the application data.

Affected Products

• Oretnom23 Lot Reservation Management System 1.0
• CPE: cpe:2.3:a:oretnom23:lot_reservation_management_system:1.0
• Component: /admin/index.php?page=manage_lot

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-07-31 - CVE-2024-7281 published to NVD
• 2024-08-08 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-7281

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the administrative manage_lot page of the Lot Reservation Management System. The application accepts an id parameter via HTTP GET request and concatenates the value directly into an SQL query string. Because the input is neither parameterized nor sanitized, attackers can inject SQL syntax such as UNION SELECT statements, boolean-based conditions, or time-based payloads.

Exploitation requires authenticated access at the administrator interface but no user interaction. The PoC published on GitHub Gist demonstrates extraction of database records through standard SQL injection techniques. The flaw maps to CWE-89, reflecting an absence of prepared statements in PHP database calls. The VulDB advisory confirms exploit code is publicly available.

Root Cause

The root cause is direct concatenation of unsanitized user input into SQL queries within the manage_lot handler. The application does not use prepared statements, parameterized queries, or input validation routines before passing the id value to the MySQL backend.

Attack Vector

An attacker authenticated to the admin panel sends a crafted HTTP request such as GET /admin/index.php?page=manage_lot&id=1' UNION SELECT ... to the vulnerable endpoint. The injected SQL executes within the application's database context, allowing data exfiltration, modification, or deletion. The attack requires no special tooling beyond a web browser or HTTP client. See the public PoC for technical exploitation details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-7281

Indicators of Compromise

• HTTP requests to /admin/index.php?page=manage_lot containing SQL metacharacters such as single quotes, UNION, SELECT, --, or OR 1=1 in the id parameter.
• Unexpected database errors logged by the PHP application or MySQL server tied to the manage_lot page.
• Anomalous outbound data volume from the web server suggesting bulk record extraction.

Detection Strategies

• Inspect web server access logs for malformed or encoded id values targeting the manage_lot endpoint.
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with signatures for SQL injection patterns against PHP applications.
• Enable MySQL general query logging to identify abnormal UNION-based or stacked queries originating from the application user.

Monitoring Recommendations

• Alert on authenticated admin sessions issuing repeated requests to manage_lot with varying id values.
• Monitor database error rates and correlate spikes with specific source IPs.
• Track failed and successful admin logins to detect credential compromise that precedes exploitation.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-7281

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict network access to the administrative interface using IP allowlisting or VPN-gated access.
• Rotate all administrator credentials and enforce strong, unique passwords.
• Deploy a WAF rule blocking SQL metacharacters in the id parameter of manage_lot.
• Review database and web server logs for prior exploitation attempts referencing the vulnerable endpoint.

Patch Information

No official vendor patch is referenced in the NVD or VulDB entries at time of publication. Operators should consider discontinuing use of Lot Reservation Management System 1.0 in production or applying source-level fixes to replace string concatenation with prepared statements using PDO or MySQLi parameter binding.

Workarounds

• Modify the manage_lot handler to validate that the id parameter is a strict integer before use.
• Replace direct SQL concatenation with parameterized queries using PHP PDO prepare() and bindParam().
• Apply the principle of least privilege to the MySQL account used by the application, removing DROP, ALTER, and FILE privileges.
• Take the application offline if administrative access cannot be restricted to trusted networks.

# Example PDO-based remediation pattern for the manage_lot handler
$stmt = $pdo->prepare('SELECT * FROM lots WHERE id = :id');
$stmt->bindParam(':id', (int)$_GET['id'], PDO::PARAM_INT);
$stmt->execute();