CVE-2024-44657: Critical SQL Injection Flaw in PHPGurukul Complaint Management System 2.0

Overview

CVE-2024-44657 identifies a SQL injection vulnerability present in PHPGurukul Complaint Management System version 2.0. This vulnerability allows an attacker to inject malicious SQL code into the application through the fromdate and todate parameters within the between-date-userreport.php file. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, modification of database records, or even complete compromise of the system.

Technical Details

The vulnerability resides in how the between-date-userreport.php script handles user-supplied input for the fromdate and todate parameters. These parameters, intended to filter user reports based on a date range, are not properly sanitized or validated before being used in a SQL query. This lack of input validation allows an attacker to inject arbitrary SQL code, potentially bypassing security measures and executing malicious commands directly against the database.

Specifically, an attacker could craft a malicious URL containing specially crafted values for fromdate and todate that would be interpreted as SQL code when the application builds and executes the database query.

Example vulnerable code snippet (Illustrative):

        $fromdate = $_GET['fromdate'];
        $todate = $_GET['todate'];
        $query = "SELECT * FROM complaints WHERE creation_date BETWEEN '$fromdate' AND '$todate'";
        // Executing the query without proper sanitization is vulnerable
        

CVSS Analysis

Although currently marked as N/A for severity and CVSS score, the nature of SQL injection vulnerabilities typically results in a high CVSS score. A proper CVSS score would depend on factors like the scope of the impact (e.g., data confidentiality, integrity, availability), attack vector, and required privileges.

Given the potential for complete system compromise, it’s likely that a proper CVSS analysis would assign a score in the high to critical range.

Possible Impact

Exploitation of this SQL injection vulnerability could have severe consequences, including:

• Data Breach: Unauthorized access to sensitive user data, complaint details, and other confidential information stored in the database.
• Data Manipulation: Modification or deletion of database records, leading to data corruption and inaccurate reporting.
• Account Takeover: Potential for attackers to gain access to administrator accounts and take control of the entire system.
• Denial of Service: Attackers could potentially disrupt the service by injecting code that causes database errors or overloads the server.
• Further Exploitation: The vulnerability could be a stepping stone for further attacks, potentially allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code on the server.

Mitigation and Patch Steps

To mitigate the risk posed by CVE-2024-44657, the following steps should be taken:

1. Apply the Patch: Immediately apply the official patch or upgrade to a version of PHPGurukul Complaint Management System that addresses this vulnerability. Check the PHPGurukul website for updates.
2. Input Validation: Implement robust input validation and sanitization for all user-supplied data, especially for the fromdate and todate parameters in between-date-userreport.php. Use parameterized queries (prepared statements) to prevent SQL injection.
3. Principle of Least Privilege: Ensure that the database user account used by the application has only the necessary privileges to perform its intended functions.
4. Web Application Firewall (WAF): Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) to detect and block malicious SQL injection attempts.
5. Regular Security Audits: Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing to identify and address potential vulnerabilities in the application.

References

CVE-2024-44657 Details on GitHub
PHPGurukul Complaint Management System Official Website