CVE-2022-32397 in Prison Management System
Summary
by MITRE • 06/24/2022
Prison Management System v1.0 was discovered to contain a SQL injection vulnerability via the 'id' parameter at /pms/admin/visits/view_visit.php:4
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/14/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-32397 resides within the Prison Management System version 1.0, specifically targeting the administrative visit management functionality. This system is designed to handle prison operations including visitor management, which makes it a critical component of correctional facility infrastructure. The vulnerability manifests through improper input validation in the web application's handling of the 'id' parameter, which is processed within the view_visit.php script located at the /pms/admin/visits/ directory path. This represents a significant security flaw that could compromise the integrity and confidentiality of sensitive prison data.
The technical flaw constitutes a classic SQL injection vulnerability classified under CWE-89, where attacker-controlled input is directly incorporated into SQL query construction without proper sanitization or parameterization. The 'id' parameter serves as the entry point for malicious input, allowing an attacker to manipulate database queries by injecting SQL commands through the web interface. When the application processes this parameter, it fails to implement adequate input validation, escaping, or parameterized query mechanisms that would normally prevent such injection attacks. This vulnerability exists because the system directly concatenates user-supplied data into database queries rather than using secure prepared statements or query parameterization techniques.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as it provides attackers with potential access to sensitive prisoner and visitor information within correctional facilities. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to extract confidential data including prisoner records, visitor logs, scheduling information, and potentially administrative credentials stored within the database. The implications are particularly concerning given that prison management systems contain highly sensitive personal data, security-related information, and operational details that could be used for various malicious purposes including identity theft, social engineering attacks, or even facilitating illegal activities. The vulnerability affects the system's availability and integrity, as successful exploitation could lead to data corruption or unauthorized modification of prison records.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper input validation and parameterized queries throughout the application codebase. The primary fix involves replacing direct string concatenation of user input with prepared statements or parameterized queries that separate SQL command structure from data values. Additionally, implementing comprehensive input sanitization measures including character set validation, length restrictions, and regular expression filtering can prevent malicious payloads from reaching the database layer. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems should also be deployed to monitor for exploitation attempts. The system should also implement proper access controls and authentication mechanisms to limit administrative access points, following the principle of least privilege as outlined in cybersecurity frameworks. Regular security code reviews and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other parts of the application, as this represents a common class of weakness that affects many web applications and aligns with attack patterns documented in the mitre attack framework under the technique of credential access and data extraction.