CVE-2021-4290 in DHBW Fallstudie
Summary
by MITRE • 12/28/2022
A vulnerability was found in DHBW Fallstudie. It has been declared as critical. Affected by this vulnerability is an unknown functionality of the file app/config/passport.js of the component Login. The manipulation of the argument id/email leads to sql injection. The name of the patch is 5c13c6a972ef4c07c5f35b417916e0598af9e123. It is recommended to apply a patch to fix this issue. The associated identifier of this vulnerability is VDB-216907.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/25/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-4290 represents a critical sql injection flaw within the DHBW Fallstudie application, specifically affecting the login component's passport.js configuration file. This vulnerability resides in the authentication mechanism where user credentials are processed, creating a pathway for malicious actors to manipulate the system's database operations through crafted input parameters. The flaw manifests when the application processes the id/email argument without adequate sanitization or parameterization, allowing attackers to inject malicious sql commands that can be executed against the underlying database. The vulnerability's critical rating stems from its potential to enable unauthorized database access, data exfiltration, and privilege escalation within the application's authentication framework.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of the id/email parameter within the passport.js file, which serves as the core component for user authentication. When user input is directly incorporated into sql queries without proper input validation or parameter binding, attackers can construct malicious payloads that alter the intended database query execution. This type of vulnerability maps directly to CWE-89, which defines sql injection as the improper handling of sql queries where user-controllable data is embedded into sql statements without adequate sanitization. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple data theft, as successful exploitation could allow attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms, modify user accounts, or even gain administrative privileges within the application's user management system.
The operational implications of this vulnerability are severe given that it affects the fundamental login functionality of the application. Attackers could exploit this flaw to gain unauthorized access to user accounts, potentially compromising sensitive personal information and institutional data. The vulnerability's presence in the passport.js configuration file indicates a critical failure in the application's security architecture, as this component typically handles sensitive authentication data and should implement robust input validation and sanitization measures. Organizations utilizing this application face significant risk of data breaches and unauthorized system access, particularly if the database contains user credentials, personal information, or institutional data that could be accessed through the sql injection attack vector.
Security mitigation for this vulnerability requires immediate implementation of the provided patch identified by the commit hash 5c13c6a972ef4c07c5f35b417916e0598af9e123. The recommended fix should involve implementing proper parameterized queries or prepared statements when processing user input in the passport.js file, ensuring that all database interactions properly sanitize and validate input parameters. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive code reviews to identify similar sql injection vulnerabilities in other application components and implement input validation at multiple layers of the application architecture. Additionally, the implementation of web application firewalls and security monitoring systems can provide additional detection capabilities for sql injection attempts. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1190, which describes the exploitation of sql injection vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access to databases and extract sensitive information, highlighting the importance of immediate remediation and ongoing security monitoring to prevent exploitation attempts.