CVE-2023-43909 in Hospital Management System
Summary
by MITRE • 10/25/2023
Hospital Management System thru commit 4770d was discovered to contain a SQL injection vulnerability via the app_contact parameter in appsearch.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/08/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-43909 represents a critical security flaw within a Hospital Management System that has been tracked through commit 4770d. This issue manifests as a SQL injection vulnerability specifically targeting the app_contact parameter within the appsearch.php file, exposing the system to potential unauthorized data access and manipulation. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization practices within the application's search functionality, which processes user-supplied contact information without proper security measures.
This SQL injection vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-89, which specifically addresses SQL injection flaws that occur when user input is directly incorporated into SQL queries without proper sanitization. The attack vector leverages the app_contact parameter that is processed through appsearch.php, allowing malicious actors to inject arbitrary SQL commands that can be executed against the underlying database. The vulnerability's presence in a hospital management system is particularly concerning as it directly impacts sensitive patient data and medical records that are typically protected under healthcare privacy regulations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as it can enable attackers to perform unauthorized database operations including data modification, deletion, or extraction of confidential patient information. Given that healthcare systems are prime targets for cyber attacks due to the high value of medical data on the black market, this vulnerability creates significant risk for potential data breaches that could compromise patient privacy and violate regulations such as HIPAA. The vulnerability also allows for potential privilege escalation attacks where attackers might gain administrative access to the system through careful SQL injection payloads.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-43909 should prioritize immediate implementation of parameterized queries or prepared statements to prevent SQL injection attacks. The application code must be updated to properly sanitize and validate all user inputs, particularly those processed through the appsearch.php file. Security patches should be deployed to ensure that the app_contact parameter is properly escaped or validated before being incorporated into database queries. Additionally, implementing proper input validation, output encoding, and least privilege access controls would significantly reduce the attack surface. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive security assessments of their healthcare management systems to identify similar vulnerabilities and ensure compliance with industry standards such as those outlined in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and ISO 27001. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of secure coding practices and regular security testing, particularly in critical infrastructure systems where the consequences of exploitation can be severe and far-reaching.