Critical SQL Injection Threatens PHPGurukul Online Shopping Portal: CVE-2024-44659

Overview

A critical security vulnerability, identified as CVE-2024-44659, has been discovered in PHPGurukul Online Shopping Portal version 2.0. This vulnerability allows for SQL Injection through the email parameter in the forgot-password.php script. Due to its severity and ease of exploitation, this flaw poses a significant risk to organizations using this software.

Technical Details

The vulnerability stems from insufficient sanitization of user-supplied input within the forgot-password.php script. Specifically, the email parameter is directly incorporated into an SQL query without proper escaping or parameterization. This allows a malicious actor to inject arbitrary SQL code, potentially enabling them to:

• Bypass authentication mechanisms.
• Access sensitive data, including user credentials, personal information, and financial details.
• Modify or delete data within the database.
• Potentially gain complete control over the underlying database server.

The vulnerable code snippet (hypothetical example, based on the CVE description):

        $email = $_POST['email'];
        $query = "SELECT * FROM users WHERE email = '$email'";  // VULNERABLE!
        $result = mysqli_query($conn, $query);
        

CVSS Analysis

This vulnerability has been assigned a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical), reflecting its high severity. The CVSS vector likely considers factors such as:

• Attack Vector (AV): Network (N) – The vulnerability is exploitable over a network.
• Attack Complexity (AC): Low (L) – Exploitation requires minimal skill and resources.
• Privileges Required (PR): None (N) – No privileges are required to exploit the vulnerability.
• User Interaction (UI): None (N) – No user interaction is required to exploit the vulnerability.
• Scope (S): Changed (C) – An attacker can impact resources beyond the vulnerable component.
• Confidentiality Impact (CI): High (H) – There is a complete loss of confidentiality.
• Integrity Impact (II): High (H) – There is a complete loss of integrity.
• Availability Impact (AI): High (H) – There is a complete loss of availability.

Possible Impact

The exploitation of CVE-2024-44659 can have severe consequences for affected organizations, including:

• Data Breach: Sensitive customer data, including personal and financial information, could be exposed.
• Account Takeover: Attackers could gain unauthorized access to user accounts.
• Financial Loss: Loss of revenue, legal expenses, and reputational damage.
• Reputational Damage: Loss of customer trust and brand reputation.
• Service Disruption: Attackers could disrupt or completely shut down the online shopping portal.

Mitigation and Patch Steps

To mitigate the risk posed by CVE-2024-44659, the following steps are recommended:

1. Apply the Patch: The most effective solution is to apply the official patch released by PHPGurukul. Check the PHPGurukul website for updates and instructions.
2. Input Validation and Sanitization: If a patch is not immediately available, implement robust input validation and sanitization techniques to prevent SQL injection. Specifically, escape user-supplied input before incorporating it into SQL queries. Use prepared statements or parameterized queries whenever possible.
3. Web Application Firewall (WAF): Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to detect and block malicious SQL injection attempts. Configure the WAF with appropriate rules to filter out suspicious traffic.
4. Principle of Least Privilege: Ensure that the database user account used by the application has only the necessary privileges. Avoid granting excessive permissions.
5. Regular Security Audits: Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing to identify and address potential vulnerabilities.

References

• CVE ID: CVE-2024-44659
• GitHub Advisory: https://github.com/leexsoyoung/CVEs/blob/main/CVE-2024-44659.md
• PHPGurukul Website: https://phpgurukul.com/shopping-portal-free-download/