CVE-2023-3644 in Service Provider Management System
Summary
by MITRE • 07/12/2023
A vulnerability was found in SourceCodester Service Provider Management System 1.0. It has been declared as critical. This vulnerability affects unknown code of the file /classes/Master.php?f=save_inquiry. The manipulation of the argument id leads to sql injection. The attack can be initiated remotely. VDB-233890 is the identifier assigned to this vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/02/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-3644 represents a critical sql injection flaw within the SourceCodester Service Provider Management System version 1.0. This vulnerability exists in the Master.php file at the specific endpoint /classes/Master.php?f=save_inquiry where user input is improperly handled. The attack vector is remotely exploitable, meaning that malicious actors can leverage this weakness without requiring physical access to the system or prior authentication. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the argument id is manipulated, allowing attackers to inject malicious sql commands that can be executed against the underlying database. This critical classification indicates the potential for severe impact including unauthorized data access, data manipulation, and possible complete system compromise.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through improper input validation and sanitization within the application's backend processing logic. When the id parameter is passed to the save_inquiry function in Master.php, the system fails to adequately sanitize or escape the input before incorporating it into sql query construction. This allows attackers to inject malicious sql payloads that can manipulate the database directly. The vulnerability follows the common pattern of sql injection attacks where user-controllable parameters are concatenated directly into sql statements without proper parameterization or escaping mechanisms. This flaw directly corresponds to CWE-89 which defines sql injection as the insertion of malicious sql code into input fields for execution by the database. The remote exploitability of this vulnerability places it within the ATT&CK technique T1190 which describes exploitation of remote services and applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft to encompass complete database compromise and potential system takeover. Attackers could extract sensitive information including user credentials, service provider details, customer data, and potentially system configuration information. The vulnerability could also enable attackers to modify or delete critical database records, disrupt service availability, or establish persistent access through database-level backdoors. Given that this affects a management system, the potential for escalation exists where attackers could leverage compromised database access to move laterally within the network infrastructure. The remote nature of the attack means that this vulnerability could be exploited from anywhere on the internet without requiring network proximity, making it particularly dangerous for publicly accessible web applications.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must be implemented immediately to protect the affected system. The most effective immediate solution involves implementing proper input validation and parameterized queries throughout the application codebase, particularly in the Master.php file and related database interaction functions. All user inputs should be sanitized and validated before processing, with strict type checking and length limitations applied to prevent injection attempts. The application should employ prepared statements or parameterized queries to ensure that user input cannot alter the intended sql command structure. Additionally, implementing proper access controls and least privilege principles for database connections can limit the potential damage from successful exploitation. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems should be configured to monitor for sql injection patterns and block suspicious requests. Regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other parts of the application. The vulnerability also underscores the importance of keeping software updated and patched, as this type of flaw is typically addressed through proper input handling and validation practices that should be part of standard development security protocols. Organizations should also implement comprehensive monitoring and logging to detect unauthorized access attempts and database modifications that may indicate exploitation of this vulnerability.