CVE-2022-46499 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 pat_number parameter at his_admin_view_single_patient.php.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/15/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-46499 represents a critical security flaw in Hospital Management System version 1.0 that exposes sensitive patient data through a SQL injection attack vector. This weakness specifically manifests through the pat_number parameter within the his_admin_view_single_patient.php script, which fails to properly sanitize user input before incorporating it into database queries. The vulnerability falls under CWE-89, which categorizes SQL injection flaws as a common and dangerous class of weakness that occurs when untrusted data is directly used in SQL command construction without proper validation or escaping mechanisms.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability allows malicious actors to manipulate the database query execution by injecting malicious SQL code through the pat_number parameter. When an attacker submits crafted input containing SQL metacharacters and commands, the application processes this input without adequate sanitization, potentially enabling unauthorized database access, data retrieval, modification, or deletion. The impact extends beyond simple data exposure as attackers could potentially escalate privileges within the database environment or extract comprehensive patient records including medical histories, personal identification information, and treatment details. This represents a severe breach of patient confidentiality and healthcare data protection standards.
The operational consequences of this vulnerability are particularly concerning within healthcare environments where patient data integrity and privacy are paramount. The exploitation of this SQL injection flaw could lead to unauthorized access to complete patient databases, enabling identity theft, medical fraud, and violation of healthcare privacy regulations such as HIPAA. The vulnerability's presence in an administrative patient view script indicates that it affects privileged access points, potentially allowing attackers to view sensitive medical information for multiple patients simultaneously. This exposure creates significant risk for healthcare organizations facing regulatory compliance challenges and potential legal ramifications.
Security mitigations for CVE-2022-46499 should prioritize immediate implementation of parameterized queries or prepared statements to prevent SQL injection attacks. The application code must be reviewed to ensure all user inputs are properly validated and sanitized before database interaction. Input validation should include strict type checking, length restrictions, and character set validation for the pat_number parameter. Additionally, implementing proper access controls and least privilege principles within the application's authentication system will limit potential damage from successful exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of regular security testing including automated vulnerability scanning and manual penetration testing to identify similar weaknesses in healthcare applications. Organizations should follow ATT&CK framework guidance for database security and implement network segmentation to limit lateral movement if exploitation occurs. The remediation process must include comprehensive code review, security patching, and regular vulnerability assessments to prevent similar injection flaws in other application components.