CVE-2023-45116 in Online Examination System
Summary
by MITRE • 12/21/2023
Online Examination System v1.0 is vulnerable to multiple Authenticated SQL Injection vulnerabilities. The 'demail' parameter of the update.php resource does not validate the characters received and they are sent unfiltered to the database.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/19/2025
The Online Examination System version 1.0 presents a critical security vulnerability through multiple authenticated SQL injection flaws that directly compromise database integrity and system confidentiality. This vulnerability specifically targets the update.php resource where the 'demail' parameter fails to implement proper input validation mechanisms, creating an exploitable pathway for malicious actors to manipulate database queries. The flaw exists because the application processes user-supplied email addresses without sanitizing or filtering potentially malicious input sequences that could alter the intended database operation.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate parameter validation within the application's backend processing logic. When an authenticated user submits data through the update.php endpoint, the 'demail' parameter receives raw input directly into database execution contexts without proper sanitization. This design flaw allows attackers to inject malicious SQL commands that can manipulate database structures, extract sensitive information, or modify existing records. The vulnerability operates under CWE-89 which specifically addresses SQL injection weaknesses where untrusted data is incorporated into SQL queries without proper validation or escaping mechanisms.
From an operational impact perspective, this authenticated SQL injection vulnerability poses significant risks to the examination system's data integrity and user privacy. An attacker with valid credentials can potentially extract complete user databases, including student information, examination results, and administrative details. The vulnerability also enables data modification attacks that could compromise the authenticity of examination records, potentially allowing grade manipulation or unauthorized access to restricted examination materials. The authenticated nature of the vulnerability means that attackers need only valid user credentials to exploit the weakness, making it particularly dangerous in environments where user access is not strictly controlled.
The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK framework techniques including T1071.004 for application layer protocol manipulation and T1566 for credential harvesting through valid accounts. Attackers can leverage this weakness to escalate privileges within the system, potentially gaining access to administrative functions that control the entire examination infrastructure. The vulnerability also creates opportunities for data exfiltration attacks where sensitive academic information could be systematically extracted from the database.
Effective mitigation strategies must address both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements. The primary solution involves implementing proper input validation and parameterized queries throughout the application's database interaction points. All user-supplied parameters including the 'demail' field must undergo strict sanitization before database insertion, utilizing prepared statements or parameterized queries that separate SQL command structure from data content. Additionally, implementing comprehensive input filtering that rejects special characters commonly used in SQL injection attacks will significantly reduce exploitation opportunities. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls and database activity monitoring should also be deployed to detect and prevent unauthorized database access attempts, while regular security audits and penetration testing will help identify similar vulnerabilities across the system's codebase.