CVE-2024-7635: Simple Ticket Booking SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2024-7635 Overview

A critical SQL injection vulnerability has been discovered in code-projects Simple Ticket Booking version 1.0. The vulnerability exists in the Registration Handler component, specifically within the register_insert.php file. Attackers can exploit this flaw by manipulating multiple input parameters including name, email, dob, password, Gender, and phone fields to inject malicious SQL commands. This vulnerability can be exploited remotely without authentication, potentially allowing attackers to extract, modify, or delete database contents.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can perform SQL injection attacks through the registration form, potentially compromising the entire database and enabling unauthorized data access, modification, or deletion.

Affected Products

• code-projects Simple Ticket Booking 1.0
• Registration Handler component (register_insert.php)

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-08-12 - CVE-2024-7635 published to NVD
• 2024-08-15 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-7635

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL injection vulnerability affects the registration functionality of the Simple Ticket Booking application. The register_insert.php file fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before incorporating it into SQL queries. Multiple form fields are vulnerable, including name, email, date of birth, password, gender, and phone number parameters.

The lack of input validation and parameterized queries allows attackers to craft malicious input that breaks out of the intended SQL query structure. This enables execution of arbitrary SQL commands against the underlying database with the privileges of the application's database user.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the improper handling of user input in the Registration Handler component. The application directly concatenates user-supplied data into SQL queries without proper sanitization, escaping, or the use of prepared statements. This classic SQL injection pattern allows attackers to manipulate query logic by injecting SQL metacharacters and commands through any of the vulnerable form fields.

Attack Vector

The attack can be launched remotely over the network without requiring authentication. An attacker can submit a crafted registration request containing malicious SQL syntax in any of the vulnerable parameters (name, email, dob, password, Gender, or phone). The injected SQL code will be executed by the database server when the registration request is processed.

The vulnerability mechanism involves unsanitized user input being directly concatenated into SQL queries within the register_insert.php file. Without proper input validation or parameterized queries, attackers can terminate the intended query and append malicious SQL statements. Common attack payloads include UNION-based injections to extract data, boolean-based blind injections for data enumeration, and time-based blind injections when direct output is not available. For technical details, see the GitHub CVE Issue Discussion.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-7635

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual or malformed entries in the registration database table containing SQL syntax characters such as single quotes, double dashes, or UNION keywords
• Web server access logs showing requests to register_insert.php with suspicious parameter values containing SQL metacharacters
• Database error logs indicating syntax errors or unexpected query patterns during registration attempts
• Evidence of data exfiltration or unauthorized database queries in database audit logs

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in registration form submissions
• Monitor application logs for registration requests containing SQL keywords (SELECT, UNION, DROP, INSERT) in form field parameters
• Deploy database activity monitoring to identify anomalous query patterns originating from the registration handler
• Use intrusion detection signatures targeting common SQL injection payloads in HTTP POST requests to register_insert.php

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for the register_insert.php endpoint to capture all registration attempts and parameter values
• Configure database auditing to track queries executed by the web application database user
• Set up alerts for failed database queries or SQL syntax errors that may indicate exploitation attempts
• Monitor for unusual database activity such as bulk data extraction or schema enumeration queries

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-7635

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict access to the Simple Ticket Booking application until the vulnerability is remediated
• Implement Web Application Firewall rules to filter SQL injection attempts targeting the registration endpoint
• Review database logs for evidence of prior exploitation and assess potential data compromise
• Consider taking the application offline if it handles sensitive data and cannot be immediately patched

Patch Information

No official vendor patch information is currently available for this vulnerability. Organizations using Simple Ticket Booking 1.0 should contact code-projects for remediation guidance or consider implementing the workarounds below. Additional vulnerability details can be found at VulDB #274056.

Workarounds

• Implement input validation on all registration form fields to reject SQL metacharacters and enforce expected data formats
• Modify the application code to use parameterized queries or prepared statements for all database operations
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall configured to block common SQL injection attack patterns
• Restrict database user privileges to minimum necessary permissions for the registration functionality

The following PHP code pattern demonstrates the secure approach using prepared statements that should replace direct query concatenation:

# Secure implementation example using prepared statements
$stmt = $pdo->prepare("INSERT INTO users (name, email, dob, password, gender, phone) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)");
$stmt->execute([$name, $email, $dob, $hashedPassword, $gender, $phone]);