CVE-2023-5804 in Nipah Virus Testing Management System
Summary
by MITRE • 10/26/2023
A vulnerability was found in PHPGurukul Nipah Virus Testing Management System 1.0 and classified as critical. This issue affects some unknown processing of the file login.php. The manipulation of the argument username leads to sql injection. The attack may be initiated remotely. The identifier VDB-243617 was assigned to this vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/18/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-5804 represents a critical SQL injection flaw within the PHPGurukul Nipah Virus Testing Management System version 1.0. This system, designed for managing viral testing operations, contains a fundamental security weakness that could be exploited by remote attackers to gain unauthorized access to the underlying database infrastructure. The vulnerability specifically manifests in the login.php file where user input validation is insufficient, creating a pathway for malicious actors to manipulate the authentication process through crafted username parameters. The attack vector requires no local access or privileges, making it particularly dangerous as it can be executed entirely from external networks. This weakness directly aligns with CWE-89 which categorizes SQL injection vulnerabilities as a critical threat to database security and application integrity.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker submits a malicious username parameter through the login.php interface, bypassing normal authentication mechanisms. The system fails to properly sanitize or escape user input before incorporating it into SQL queries, allowing attackers to inject malicious SQL code that can manipulate database operations. This type of injection can potentially enable attackers to extract sensitive information, modify database records, or even execute administrative commands on the database server. The remote exploit capability means that attackers do not need physical access to the system or knowledge of internal network configurations to launch this attack. This vulnerability demonstrates poor input validation practices and inadequate parameterized query implementation, which are fundamental security misconfigurations that violate standard security protocols and best practices.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, potentially compromising the entire testing management system's data integrity and availability. Attackers could exploit this weakness to access confidential patient information, testing records, and administrative credentials stored within the database. The system's critical nature as a virus testing management platform means that such compromises could have serious implications for public health data protection and regulatory compliance. The vulnerability's classification as critical indicates that it could be exploited by automated tools or scripts, making it particularly dangerous for systems with exposed internet services. Organizations relying on this system may face significant regulatory penalties, data breach notifications, and reputational damage if this vulnerability is exploited, especially given the sensitive nature of healthcare data involved in virus testing operations.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-5804 should prioritize immediate patching of the affected system to address the SQL injection vulnerability in login.php. Organizations should implement proper input validation and parameterized queries to prevent user input from being interpreted as SQL commands. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be configured to limit access to the login.php endpoint and restrict database connections to only necessary services. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems can help monitor and block suspicious SQL injection attempts. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other system components. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1190 - Exploit Public-Facing Application, emphasizing the need for proper application hardening and input sanitization. Organizations should also establish incident response procedures specifically for database-related security incidents and ensure that all system administrators are trained in secure coding practices to prevent similar vulnerabilities in future development cycles.