CVE-2018-15145 in OpenEMR
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple SQL injection vulnerabilities in portal/add_edit_event_user.php in versions of OpenEMR before 5.0.1.4 allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the (1) eid, (2) userid, or (3) pid parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/01/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-15145 represents a critical SQL injection flaw within the OpenEMR healthcare management system, specifically affecting versions prior to 5.0.1.4. This vulnerability resides in the portal/add_edit_event_user.php script, which serves as a component for managing user events within the system's portal interface. The flaw stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization of user-supplied parameters, creating a pathway for malicious actors to manipulate database queries through carefully crafted inputs. The vulnerability affects three distinct parameters: eid, userid, and pid, all of which are processed without proper sanitization, allowing attackers to inject malicious SQL code that executes with the privileges of the database user. This represents a classic SQL injection vulnerability categorized under CWE-89, which specifically addresses improper neutralization of special elements used in SQL commands.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as it enables full database compromise through remote exploitation. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to extract sensitive patient information, modify existing records, create new user accounts, or even escalate privileges within the database. The three vulnerable parameters correspond to event identifiers, user identifiers, and patient identifiers respectively, meaning an attacker could potentially manipulate event scheduling data, user access controls, or patient medical records. This vulnerability directly maps to attack techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under T1071.004 for application layer protocol manipulation and T1190 for exploitation of remote services. The remote nature of this attack means that no local system access is required, making it particularly dangerous for healthcare organizations that rely on web-based interfaces for their operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a fundamental flaw in input handling within the OpenEMR codebase, where user-supplied parameters are directly concatenated into SQL queries without proper parameterization or escaping mechanisms. This allows attackers to manipulate the intended query structure by injecting SQL syntax characters and commands that alter the execution flow of database operations. The vulnerability affects organizations using outdated versions of OpenEMR, which represents a significant concern given the widespread adoption of this healthcare management system across medical facilities worldwide. Security professionals should note that this vulnerability represents a critical risk to healthcare data integrity and patient privacy, potentially violating HIPAA compliance requirements and exposing sensitive medical information to unauthorized parties. Organizations should immediately implement patch management procedures to upgrade to OpenEMR version 5.0.1.4 or later, which includes proper input validation and parameterized query implementations to prevent such injection attacks from occurring.