CVE-2024-8877: Riello Netman 204 SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2024-8877 Overview

CVE-2024-8877 is a SQL Injection vulnerability affecting the Riello Netman 204, a network management card used for UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) systems. The vulnerability stems from improper neutralization of special elements in user-supplied input, allowing attackers to craft malicious SQL queries. While the impact is limited to the SQLite database containing measurement data, successful exploitation could enable unauthorized access to sensitive operational metrics and potential data manipulation.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can exploit this SQL Injection vulnerability over the network to read or modify measurement data stored in the device's SQLite database, potentially compromising the integrity of UPS monitoring information.

Affected Products

• Riello-UPS Netman 204 Firmware through version 4.05
• Riello-UPS Netman 204 Hardware

Discovery Timeline

• September 25, 2024 - CVE-2024-8877 published to NVD
• November 4, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-8877

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability falls under CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command), commonly known as SQL Injection. The Riello Netman 204 network management card fails to properly sanitize user input before incorporating it into SQL queries executed against its internal SQLite database. This database stores measurement data related to UPS operations, including power metrics and operational parameters.

The network-accessible nature of this vulnerability allows remote attackers to interact with the affected device without requiring prior authentication or user interaction. While the scope is limited to the measurement data SQLite database rather than system-wide compromise, attackers could potentially extract historical power data or manipulate stored measurements, which could impact monitoring accuracy and operational decision-making.

Root Cause

The root cause is insufficient input validation and sanitization in the web interface or API endpoints of the Netman 204 firmware. When processing requests that query or interact with the measurement database, the firmware concatenates user-supplied input directly into SQL statements without proper parameterization or escaping of special characters. This allows attackers to inject malicious SQL syntax that alters the intended query logic.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, requiring no authentication or user interaction. An attacker with network access to the Netman 204 device can send specially crafted HTTP requests containing SQL injection payloads. These payloads exploit the improper input handling to execute arbitrary SQL commands against the SQLite measurement database.

The exploitation flow typically involves:

1. Identifying an input field or parameter that interacts with the SQLite database
2. Crafting a malicious payload that includes SQL metacharacters and commands
3. Sending the payload to the device over the network
4. The vulnerable application fails to sanitize the input and executes the injected SQL
5. The attacker receives the query results or achieves data modification

For technical details and proof-of-concept information, see the CyberDanube Vulnerability Report.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-8877

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual or malformed HTTP requests containing SQL syntax characters (single quotes, double dashes, UNION SELECT statements) targeting Netman 204 devices
• Unexpected database query errors in device logs indicating failed injection attempts
• Anomalous access patterns to the Netman 204 web interface from external or unauthorized IP addresses
• Modified measurement data that doesn't correlate with actual UPS operational parameters

Detection Strategies

• Deploy network intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for common SQL injection patterns targeting web interfaces
• Monitor HTTP traffic to Netman 204 devices for payloads containing SQL keywords such as UNION, SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, and comment sequences like -- or /*
• Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to filter requests containing SQL injection patterns
• Review access logs on Netman 204 devices for suspicious request patterns or repeated failed requests

Monitoring Recommendations

• Establish baseline network traffic patterns to Netman 204 devices and alert on deviations
• Configure SIEM rules to correlate multiple SQL injection attempt indicators from the same source
• Monitor for unauthorized changes to UPS measurement data or unexpected data exports
• Implement network segmentation monitoring to detect unauthorized access attempts to the OT/ICS network segment where UPS management systems typically reside

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-8877

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade Riello Netman 204 firmware to a version newer than 4.05 when available from the vendor
• Restrict network access to Netman 204 devices using firewall rules, limiting connections to authorized management stations only
• Place Netman 204 devices on isolated network segments separate from general corporate networks
• Implement a web application firewall (WAF) in front of Netman 204 devices to filter SQL injection attempts

Patch Information

Affected organizations should monitor Riello-UPS for firmware updates addressing this vulnerability. The vulnerability affects Netman 204 firmware through version 4.05. Check the CyberDanube Vulnerability Report and the Full Disclosure Mailing List Post for the latest information on available patches.

Workarounds

• Implement strict network access controls limiting which IP addresses can communicate with Netman 204 devices
• Deploy a reverse proxy with SQL injection filtering capabilities in front of the device's web interface
• Disable remote web-based management if not operationally required and use local console access instead
• Enable comprehensive logging and alerting for all access to Netman 204 management interfaces

# Example firewall rule to restrict Netman 204 access (adjust IP ranges as needed)
# Allow only authorized management subnet to access Netman 204
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp -s 10.0.100.0/24 --dport 80 -d <NETMAN_204_IP> -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp -s 10.0.100.0/24 --dport 443 -d <NETMAN_204_IP> -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -d <NETMAN_204_IP> -j DROP
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -d <NETMAN_204_IP> -j DROP