CVE-2023-48685 in Railway Reservation System
Summary
by MITRE • 12/21/2023
Railway Reservation System v1.0 is vulnerable to multiple Unauthenticated SQL Injection vulnerabilities. The 'psd' parameter of the login.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 • 12/22/2023
The Railway Reservation System v1.0 presents a critical security vulnerability through multiple unauthenticated SQL injection flaws that compromise the integrity of the authentication mechanism. This vulnerability specifically targets the 'psd' parameter within the login.php resource, where input validation is completely absent, allowing attackers to inject malicious SQL commands directly into the database query execution process. The absence of proper input sanitization creates a direct pathway for malicious actors to manipulate the underlying database structure without requiring any authentication credentials.
This vulnerability falls under the CWE-89 category of SQL Injection, which represents one of the most prevalent and dangerous web application security flaws identified by the CWE organization. The attack vector operates through the unfiltered transmission of user-supplied data to the database engine, where the malicious SQL payload executes with the privileges of the database user account. The lack of authentication requirements for exploitation makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by any remote attacker without prior access credentials, aligning with the ATT&CK technique T1190 - Exploit Public-Facing Application.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple credential theft, as successful exploitation could enable attackers to extract sensitive passenger information, modify reservation records, or even gain complete control over the database server. The system's failure to implement proper parameterized queries or input validation mechanisms creates an environment where attackers can perform data manipulation, information disclosure, and potentially escalate their privileges within the system. Database administrators face significant risks including unauthorized access to personal identification information, financial data, and travel records of passengers.
Mitigation strategies should immediately implement parameterized queries or prepared statements to prevent SQL injection attacks, alongside comprehensive input validation and sanitization of all user-supplied parameters. The system requires immediate patching to ensure that the 'psd' parameter in login.php properly validates and filters all incoming data before processing. Network segmentation and web application firewalls should be deployed to monitor and block suspicious SQL injection patterns. Additionally, implementing proper authentication mechanisms and access controls, along with regular security audits and penetration testing, would significantly reduce the risk of exploitation. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of following secure coding practices and adhering to OWASP Top Ten security guidelines to prevent such fundamental flaws in web application development.