CVE-2022-46498 in Hospital Management System
Summary
by MITRE • 03/07/2024
Hospital Management System 1.0 was discovered to contain a SQL injection vulnerability via the doc_number parameter at his_admin_view_single_employee.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/29/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-46498 represents a critical security flaw within the Hospital Management System version 1.0, specifically targeting the administrative interface for employee management. This system appears to be a web-based application designed to handle hospital administrative tasks including employee records and medical history tracking. The vulnerability manifests through the doc_number parameter in the his_admin_view_single_employee.php endpoint, which processes user input without adequate sanitization or validation mechanisms. This weakness exposes the system to malicious actors who can manipulate the parameter to inject arbitrary SQL commands into the backend database query execution process.
The technical exploitation of this SQL injection vulnerability occurs when an attacker submits malicious input through the doc_number parameter, allowing them to bypass normal authentication procedures and directly interact with the underlying database structure. The flaw stems from improper input validation and inadequate parameterized query implementation within the PHP application code. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability maps to CWE-89 which specifically addresses SQL injection flaws where untrusted data is incorporated into SQL commands without proper escaping or parameterization. The attack vector leverages the application's failure to properly sanitize user-supplied input before incorporating it into database queries, creating an environment where attackers can execute unauthorized database operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft to encompass complete system compromise and potential patient data breaches. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to extract sensitive medical information, employee records, and potentially access other interconnected systems within the hospital network. The implications are particularly severe in healthcare environments where data protection regulations such as HIPAA compliance are mandatory, making unauthorized access to patient medical histories and employee records a serious violation of privacy and security standards. The vulnerability also enables attackers to modify or delete critical database entries, potentially disrupting hospital operations and compromising patient care delivery. From an attack framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1071.004 for application layer protocol manipulation, where adversaries exploit weaknesses in web application interfaces to gain unauthorized database access.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-46498 should prioritize immediate implementation of parameterized queries and input validation mechanisms throughout the application codebase. The development team must ensure all user inputs are properly sanitized and validated before being processed by database queries. Implementing proper access controls and least privilege principles for database connections can limit the damage potential from successful exploitation. Regular security code reviews and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities across the entire application stack. Additionally, the system should implement comprehensive logging and monitoring of database access patterns to detect anomalous activities that may indicate exploitation attempts. The organization should also consider implementing web application firewalls and database activity monitoring solutions to provide additional layers of protection against SQL injection attacks. Regular patch management and vulnerability assessment programs are essential to prevent similar issues from emerging in future releases of the hospital management system.