CVE-2024-9078: Student Record System SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2024-9078 Overview

A critical SQL Injection vulnerability has been identified in code-projects Student Record System version 1.0. This vulnerability exists in the /course.php file, where improper handling of the coursename parameter allows attackers to inject malicious SQL commands. The vulnerability can be exploited remotely without authentication, potentially allowing unauthorized access to sensitive student records and database manipulation.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this SQL Injection vulnerability to read, modify, or delete data in the underlying database, potentially compromising all student records and system integrity.

Affected Products

• code-projects Student Record System 1.0

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-09-22 - CVE-2024-9078 published to NVD
• 2024-09-26 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-9078

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL Injection vulnerability (CWE-89) in code-projects Student Record System 1.0 stems from insufficient input validation in the /course.php file. When user-supplied data is passed through the coursename parameter, it is directly incorporated into SQL queries without proper sanitization or parameterization. This allows an attacker to craft malicious input that escapes the intended query context and executes arbitrary SQL commands against the backend database.

The vulnerability is accessible over the network without requiring authentication or user interaction. An attacker can leverage this flaw to extract sensitive information from the database, modify existing records, delete data, or potentially escalate to further system compromise depending on database permissions and configuration.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the failure to implement proper input validation and parameterized queries (prepared statements) when handling user input in the coursename parameter. The application concatenates user-controlled data directly into SQL query strings, allowing SQL metacharacters to alter the query logic. This is a classic SQL Injection pattern that occurs when developers fail to separate code from data in database operations.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for CVE-2024-9078 is network-based, targeting the /course.php endpoint. An unauthenticated remote attacker can send crafted HTTP requests containing SQL injection payloads in the coursename parameter. The malicious input is processed by the web application and passed to the database server, where it executes as part of the SQL query.

Typical exploitation scenarios include:

• Injecting UNION SELECT statements to extract data from other tables
• Using boolean-based or time-based blind SQL injection techniques to enumerate database contents
• Leveraging INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE statements to modify records
• Attempting to read or write files through database functions if permissions allow

The vulnerability has been publicly disclosed, and details are available in the GitHub Issue Discussion.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-9078

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual SQL error messages in application logs referencing /course.php
• HTTP requests to /course.php containing SQL metacharacters such as single quotes, UNION, SELECT, OR 1=1, or comment sequences (--, /*)
• Unexpected database queries or access patterns in database logs
• Evidence of data exfiltration or unauthorized data modifications in student records

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect SQL injection patterns in requests to /course.php
• Monitor application and database logs for anomalous query patterns or syntax errors
• Deploy intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for common SQL injection attack payloads
• Use database activity monitoring to detect unusual queries against student record tables

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for all HTTP requests to /course.php and related endpoints
• Configure alerting on database errors that may indicate injection attempts
• Review access logs for suspicious parameter values in the coursename field
• Implement real-time monitoring for bulk data access or export operations

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-9078

Immediate Actions Required

• Remove or restrict access to the vulnerable /course.php file until a patch is applied
• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to block known SQL injection patterns
• Review database permissions to ensure the application uses least-privilege database accounts
• Audit existing data for signs of compromise or unauthorized modifications

Patch Information

As of the last NVD update on 2024-09-26, no official vendor patch has been released for this vulnerability. Organizations using code-projects Student Record System 1.0 should monitor the Code Projects Resource Hub for security updates and consider implementing the workarounds described below.

For technical details and community discussions, refer to the VulDB #278248 entry.

Workarounds

• Implement input validation to whitelist acceptable characters in the coursename parameter
• Modify the vulnerable code to use parameterized queries or prepared statements
• Deploy a WAF in front of the application to filter malicious requests
• Restrict network access to the application to trusted IP ranges only
• Consider disabling or removing the vulnerable functionality if not business-critical

# Example: Apache ModSecurity WAF rule to block basic SQL injection
SecRule ARGS:coursename "@detectSQLi" \
    "id:1001,\
    phase:2,\
    deny,\
    status:403,\
    msg:'SQL Injection attempt detected in coursename parameter',\
    log,\
    auditlog"