CVE-2023-3340 in Online School Fees System
Summary
by MITRE • 06/20/2023
A vulnerability was found in SourceCodester Online School Fees System 1.0 and classified as critical. Affected by this issue is some unknown functionality of the file ajx.php of the component GET Parameter Handler. The manipulation of the argument name_startsWith leads to sql injection. The attack may be launched remotely. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used. The identifier of this vulnerability is VDB-232016.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/16/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-3340 represents a critical sql injection flaw within the SourceCodester Online School Fees System version 1.0, specifically affecting the ajx.php file's GET parameter handler. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization of user-supplied parameters, creating a pathway for malicious actors to manipulate database queries through the name_startsWith parameter. The issue resides in the application's failure to properly escape or filter user input before incorporating it into sql commands, which directly violates security best practices and industry standards.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through remote manipulation of the GET parameter name_startsWith within the ajx.php component. When an attacker submits malicious input through this parameter, the application fails to sanitize the data properly, allowing sql injection payloads to be executed against the underlying database. This flaw enables attackers to perform unauthorized data access, modification, or deletion operations, potentially compromising the entire school fees database. The vulnerability's classification as critical reflects the severity of potential impact, as sql injection attacks can lead to complete database compromise and unauthorized access to sensitive educational and financial information.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as it can enable attackers to escalate privileges, extract confidential student records, manipulate financial data, and potentially disrupt school administrative operations. The disclosure of exploitation details in VDB-232016 indicates that threat actors have already developed working exploits, increasing the risk of real-world attacks. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-89 sql injection, which is categorized under the CWE top 25 most dangerous software weaknesses, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1190 for exploitation of remote services and T1071.004 for application layer protocol manipulation. Organizations using this system face significant risk of data breaches, regulatory compliance violations, and potential legal consequences due to exposure of sensitive student and financial information.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate patching of the affected system, implementation of proper input validation and parameterized queries, and deployment of web application firewalls to detect and block malicious sql injection attempts. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive security assessments of all database interactions, implement proper access controls, and establish monitoring protocols to detect unauthorized database access. The remediation process must address the root cause by ensuring all user inputs are properly sanitized and that the application follows secure coding practices to prevent similar vulnerabilities in future development cycles. Regular security testing and vulnerability assessments should be implemented to identify and address potential sql injection vectors throughout the application lifecycle.