CVE-2024-8339: Electric Billing Management System SQLi

CVE-2024-8339 Overview

CVE-2024-8339 is a SQL injection vulnerability in SourceCodester Electric Billing Management System 1.0, developed by oretnom23. The flaw resides in the Connection Code Handler component, specifically in the /?page=tracks endpoint. Attackers can manipulate the code parameter to inject arbitrary SQL statements against the backend database. The exploit has been publicly disclosed, increasing the likelihood of opportunistic abuse against exposed deployments. The vulnerability is classified under [CWE-89] (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command).

Critical Impact

Remote attackers with low privileges can execute arbitrary SQL queries through the code parameter, leading to unauthorized data access, modification, or deletion in the billing database.

Affected Products

• SourceCodester Electric Billing Management System 1.0
• oretnom23 electric_billing_management_system (CPE: cpe:2.3:a:oretnom23:electric_billing_management_system:1.0)
• Deployments using the vulnerable tracks.php Connection Code Handler

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-08-30 - CVE-2024-8339 published to NVD
• 2024-09-04 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-8339

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability exists in the tracks.php script reachable via /?page=tracks in the Electric Billing Management System. The application accepts a user-supplied code parameter and concatenates it directly into an SQL query without parameterization or input sanitization. An attacker with low-privileged authenticated access can submit crafted payloads through this parameter to alter the query logic. Successful exploitation allows extraction of arbitrary table contents, modification of billing records, or enumeration of database schema. The attack proceeds over the network and requires no user interaction, making it suitable for automated scanning against exposed installations.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper neutralization of special characters in SQL statements, identified as [CWE-89]. The Connection Code Handler builds queries using string concatenation with the code argument rather than prepared statements or parameter binding. PHP scripts in this code path lack input validation, type enforcement, or escaping routines for user-controlled values reaching the database driver.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is remote and network-based. An attacker submits a crafted HTTP request to /?page=tracks with a malicious code parameter value containing SQL metacharacters such as single quotes, UNION SELECT clauses, or stacked queries. Because the application authenticates users at a low privilege tier, any registered account can trigger the injection. Public proof-of-concept analysis is available, lowering the barrier to exploitation.

No verified code examples are available for this CVE. Refer to the GitHub SQL Injection Analysis and the VulDB Threat Intelligence Report for technical details on the injection payload structure.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-8339

Indicators of Compromise

• HTTP requests to /?page=tracks containing SQL metacharacters such as ', ", --, UNION, or SLEEP( in the code parameter
• Unexpected database errors or anomalous response sizes returned from the tracks endpoint
• Outbound queries from the application database service that deviate from baseline billing operations

Detection Strategies

• Inspect web server access logs for requests targeting /?page=tracks with encoded SQL syntax in query strings or POST bodies
• Deploy web application firewall (WAF) rules to flag SQL injection patterns against the Electric Billing Management System endpoints
• Enable MySQL general query logging and review for queries originating from the tracks page containing union-based or boolean-based injection signatures

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor authentication logs for low-privileged accounts performing repeated requests to the tracks endpoint
• Alert on database errors returned in HTTP responses, which often indicate active injection probing
• Track outbound data volumes from the database tier to identify potential exfiltration following successful injection

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-8339

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict network access to the Electric Billing Management System to trusted internal networks or VPN users until a patch is available
• Disable or restrict access to the /?page=tracks route at the web server or reverse proxy layer
• Review database accounts used by the application and enforce least-privilege permissions to limit injection impact

Patch Information

No vendor patch is currently listed in NVD or referenced vendor advisories for CVE-2024-8339. Administrators should monitor the SourceCodester Security Resources page for updates and consider replacing the application if no fix is published.

Workarounds

• Place a WAF in front of the application with rules blocking SQL injection patterns in the code parameter
• Modify the vulnerable tracks.php source to use parameterized queries with PDO or mysqli prepared statements
• Implement server-side input validation to enforce expected data types and reject SQL metacharacters in the code argument

# Example ModSecurity rule to block SQL injection patterns against the tracks endpoint
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains /?page=tracks" \
    "id:1008339,phase:2,deny,status:403,\
    chain,msg:'CVE-2024-8339 SQLi attempt on tracks code parameter'"
    SecRule ARGS:code "@rx (?i)(union(\s)+select|';|--|sleep\(|benchmark\()" \
        "t:none,t:urlDecode"