CVE-2023-4866 in Online Tours & Travels Management System
Summary
by MITRE • 09/10/2023
A vulnerability was found in SourceCodester Online Tours & Travels Management System 1.0 and classified as critical. This issue affects the function exec of the file booking.php. The manipulation of the argument id leads to sql injection. The attack may be initiated remotely. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used. The associated identifier of this vulnerability is VDB-239351.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/04/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-4866 represents a critical sql injection flaw within the SourceCodester Online Tours & Travels Management System version 1.0. This vulnerability resides in the booking.php file where the exec function processes user input without adequate sanitization or validation. The specific attack vector occurs when the id parameter is manipulated, allowing an attacker to inject malicious sql commands that can be executed against the underlying database. The remote exploitability of this vulnerability means that malicious actors can leverage this flaw from outside the network perimeter without requiring local system access or credentials.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper input handling within the application's database interaction layer. When the exec function processes the id argument from booking.php, it fails to implement proper parameterization or input validation mechanisms that would prevent malicious sql code from being executed. This weakness directly maps to CWE-89 which defines sql injection as the insertion of malicious sql fragments into input data that is then interpreted by an application as part of a sql command. The vulnerability's classification as critical reflects the potential for complete database compromise, data exfiltration, and unauthorized access to sensitive customer information including personal details, booking records, and payment information.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft to encompass complete system compromise and business disruption. Attackers can exploit this flaw to extract sensitive user data, modify booking records, manipulate pricing structures, and potentially gain persistent access to the system through database-level privileges. The disclosure of this exploit to the public community increases the risk profile significantly as it provides threat actors with ready-made attack tools and techniques. Organizations relying on this system face potential regulatory violations under data protection frameworks such as gdpr and pci dss, along with potential financial losses from customer data breaches and operational downtime. The vulnerability also creates opportunities for attackers to establish backdoors or deploy additional malicious payloads through the compromised database access.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-4866 must address both immediate remediation and long-term security improvements. The primary solution involves implementing proper parameterized queries or prepared statements within the booking.php file to ensure that user input cannot be interpreted as sql commands. Input validation and sanitization should be implemented at multiple layers including application-level filters and database-level access controls. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be configured to limit access to database resources and restrict unnecessary exposure. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual database access patterns and sql injection attempts. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems to provide additional protection against exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar issues throughout the application codebase, with particular attention to areas where user input is processed and database interactions occur. The vulnerability's association with ATT&CK technique T1190 indicates that attackers may leverage this flaw as part of broader reconnaissance and exploitation campaigns targeting web applications.