CVE-2023-6474 in Nipah Virus Testing Management System
Summary
by MITRE • 12/03/2023
A vulnerability has been found in PHPGurukul Nipah Virus Testing Management System 1.0 and classified as problematic. This vulnerability affects unknown code of the file manage-phlebotomist.php. The manipulation of the argument pid leads to cross-site request forgery. The attack can be initiated remotely. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used. The identifier of this vulnerability is VDB-246640.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/03/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-6474 represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the PHPGurukul Nipah Virus Testing Management System version 1.0. This system, designed for managing viral testing operations, contains a dangerous weakness in its manage-phlebotomist.php component that exposes users to significant security risks. The vulnerability stems from inadequate validation and sanitization of the pid parameter, which serves as the primary attack vector for malicious actors seeking to exploit the system's trust mechanisms. The flaw exists in the application's handling of user requests where the system fails to properly verify the authenticity of incoming requests, creating opportunities for unauthorized actions to be performed on behalf of authenticated users. This particular vulnerability falls under the CWE-352 category, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery issues, making it a well-documented and widely recognized security concern. The attack surface is particularly concerning as it allows for remote exploitation, meaning that malicious actors can initiate attacks from external networks without requiring physical access to the target system. The vulnerability's classification as problematic indicates that it can lead to unauthorized modifications of user data, potentially enabling attackers to manipulate phlebotomist records, alter testing procedures, or gain unauthorized access to sensitive medical information. The disclosure of the exploit publicly through VDB-246640 significantly increases the risk profile as threat actors can now leverage this knowledge to target vulnerable installations. The operational impact extends beyond simple data manipulation, as the system's core functionality for managing viral testing operations could be compromised, potentially affecting public health data integrity and patient safety protocols. The attack chain typically involves crafting a malicious request that appears legitimate to the web application, leveraging the trust relationship between the user's browser and the vulnerable system to execute unauthorized actions. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1531 which focuses on "Modify System Image" and T1566 which addresses "Phishing", as attackers can use CSRF attacks to manipulate system configurations or deceive users into performing unwanted actions. The lack of proper CSRF token validation in the manage-phlebotomist.php file creates a fundamental security gap where any authenticated user session can be hijacked or manipulated by attackers. Organizations using this system face potential data breaches, unauthorized access to medical records, and possible disruption of critical testing operations. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers can target installations from anywhere on the internet, making it particularly dangerous for healthcare organizations that may have limited security monitoring capabilities. The system's architecture appears to lack proper request origin verification, which is a fundamental security control that should prevent unauthorized requests from being processed. This flaw represents a failure in the application's security design and implementation, specifically in its session management and request validation mechanisms. The pid parameter handling demonstrates poor security practices where input validation is insufficient to prevent malicious manipulation of system functions. The vulnerability creates opportunities for attackers to escalate privileges, modify user permissions, or even delete critical records within the phlebotomist management section. Security researchers have identified this as a high-risk issue that requires immediate attention due to its public disclosure and the potential for widespread exploitation across installations of the Nipah Virus Testing Management System. The flaw's impact is particularly severe in healthcare environments where maintaining accurate and secure patient data is paramount to public health and safety. Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation efforts including implementing proper CSRF token validation, enhancing request origin checking, and conducting comprehensive security assessments of their deployment environments. The vulnerability highlights the importance of adhering to security best practices and maintaining current security patches, as the system's exposure to public exploitation creates a window of opportunity for malicious actors to compromise sensitive healthcare information systems.