CVE-2021-34166 in Simple Food Website
Summary
by MITRE • 07/30/2021
A SQL INJECTION vulnerability in Sourcecodester Simple Food Website 1.0 allows a remote attacker to Bypass Authentication and become Admin.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/06/2021
The CVE-2021-34166 vulnerability represents a critical sql injection flaw within the Sourcecodester Simple Food Website version 1.0 that fundamentally compromises the application's authentication mechanism. This vulnerability exists due to improper input validation and sanitization of user-supplied data within the login authentication process, creating an exploitable pathway for remote attackers to bypass administrative controls and gain unauthorized elevated privileges. The flaw specifically manifests when the application fails to properly escape or parameterize user inputs before incorporating them into sql query constructs, allowing malicious payloads to manipulate the intended query execution flow.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through careful crafting of login credentials that contain sql injection payloads designed to manipulate the authentication logic. Attackers can construct malicious input that, when processed by the vulnerable application, alters the sql query structure to always return a successful authentication result regardless of actual credentials provided. This occurs because the application directly concatenates user input into sql statements without proper sanitization mechanisms, enabling attackers to inject sql commands that bypass the intended authentication checks. The vulnerability resides in the application's failure to implement proper parameterized queries or input validation, creating a direct path for malicious sql code execution that ultimately grants administrative access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple unauthorized access, as it provides attackers with complete administrative control over the food website application. Once authenticated as an administrator, threat actors can manipulate all aspects of the platform including user accounts, menu items, order processing, and potentially access sensitive data or system configurations. This elevated privilege escalation allows for persistent access, data exfiltration, modification of business logic, and potential use as a foothold for further network infiltration. The vulnerability's remote nature means attackers can exploit it from anywhere without requiring physical access to the system, making it particularly dangerous for web applications hosting sensitive business data.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2021-34166 must focus on implementing proper input validation and parameterized query construction throughout the application's codebase. Organizations should immediately upgrade to patched versions of the Simple Food Website if available, or implement proper sql injection prevention measures including the use of prepared statements and parameterized queries. The application should enforce strict input validation on all user-supplied data, particularly authentication credentials, and implement proper error handling that does not reveal sql structure information to attackers. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls and input sanitization mechanisms can provide additional defense layers against exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-89 sql injection and follows common attack patterns documented in the mitre ATT&CK framework under technique T1190 for exploitation of vulnerabilities and T1078 for valid accounts usage, emphasizing the need for comprehensive security controls beyond simple patching approaches.