CVE-2023-0529 in Online Tours & Travels Management System
Summary
by MITRE • 01/27/2023
A vulnerability was found in SourceCodester Online Tours & Travels Management System 1.0. It has been declared as critical. This vulnerability affects unknown code of the file admin/add_payment.php. The manipulation of the argument id leads to sql injection. The attack can be initiated remotely. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used. VDB-219598 is the identifier assigned to this vulnerability.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/23/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-0529 represents a critical sql injection flaw within the SourceCodester Online Tours & Travels Management System version 1.0. This critical designation stems from the severity of potential impacts and the ease with which the vulnerability can be exploited. The flaw specifically resides in the admin/add_payment.php file, making it a targeted attack vector for malicious actors seeking unauthorized access to the system's underlying database infrastructure. The vulnerability's critical nature is compounded by its remote exploitability, meaning attackers do not require physical access to the system to initiate malicious activities. The attack vector is initiated through manipulation of the id argument, which allows threat actors to inject malicious sql code directly into the application's database queries.
The technical implementation of this sql injection vulnerability demonstrates a classic weakness in input validation and query construction practices. When the application processes the id parameter within the add_payment.php file, it fails to properly sanitize or escape user-supplied input before incorporating it into sql commands. This creates an opportunity for attackers to craft malicious payloads that can manipulate the database structure, extract sensitive information, or even execute administrative commands. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-89, which specifically addresses sql injection flaws in software applications. This weakness enables attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms, modify database records, or extract confidential data including user credentials, payment information, and travel booking details that the system manages. The exploitability of this vulnerability has been confirmed through public disclosure, indicating that threat actors have already developed working attack vectors against this specific flaw.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-0529 extends beyond simple data theft to encompass complete system compromise and potential business disruption. Organizations utilizing this tours and travels management system face significant risks including unauthorized financial transactions, customer data breaches, and potential regulatory violations under data protection frameworks such as gdpr or pci dss. The remote nature of the exploit means that attackers can target vulnerable systems from anywhere on the internet without requiring network access to the local infrastructure. This vulnerability creates opportunities for attackers to escalate privileges within the database, potentially allowing them to access additional system components or move laterally within network environments. The disclosed exploit status significantly amplifies the threat level, as it removes the requirement for advanced technical skills to exploit the vulnerability, making it accessible to a broader range of threat actors including script kiddies and automated attack tools.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must be implemented immediately to protect affected systems from exploitation. The primary remediation approach involves implementing proper input validation and parameterized queries within the admin/add_payment.php file to prevent malicious sql code from being executed. Organizations should deploy web application firewalls and input sanitization mechanisms to filter out potentially harmful sql injection patterns. Regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities within the application's codebase. The implementation of least privilege principles for database connections and regular security updates to the application framework are essential defensive measures. Additionally, organizations should monitor for exploitation attempts through log analysis and implement intrusion detection systems to identify unauthorized access patterns. This vulnerability also highlights the importance of adhering to secure coding practices and following the owasp top ten security guidelines to prevent similar sql injection vulnerabilities in future development cycles. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under the initial access and execution phases, emphasizing the need for comprehensive network security controls to prevent exploitation and maintain system integrity.