CVE-2023-7172 in Hospital Management System
Summary
by MITRE • 12/30/2023
A vulnerability, which was classified as critical, has been found in PHPGurukul Hospital Management System 1.0. Affected by this issue is some unknown functionality of the component Admin Dashboard. The manipulation leads to sql injection. The attack may be launched remotely. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used. The identifier of this vulnerability is VDB-249356.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/21/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-7172 represents a critical sql injection flaw within the Admin Dashboard component of PHPGurukul Hospital Management System version 1.0. This critical classification stems from the severity of potential impact and the ease of exploitation, as confirmed by the public disclosure of the exploit. The vulnerability resides in the administrative interface functionality, which serves as a privileged access point for system management operations. Attackers can leverage this weakness to manipulate the underlying database through maliciously crafted inputs that bypass normal validation mechanisms. The remote exploitation capability means that adversaries do not require physical access to the system, enabling them to target the vulnerable application from external networks. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-89, which specifically addresses sql injection flaws in software applications where improper input validation allows attackers to execute arbitrary sql commands against the database backend. The attack vector typically involves sending specially crafted requests through web forms or api endpoints that are processed by the admin dashboard module, potentially allowing full database compromise.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft to encompass complete system compromise and unauthorized administrative access. Successful exploitation could enable attackers to extract sensitive patient information, modify or delete critical healthcare data, and potentially escalate privileges to gain complete control over the hospital management system. The implications are particularly severe in healthcare environments where patient confidentiality and data integrity are paramount. The vulnerability affects the system's authentication and authorization mechanisms, potentially allowing unauthorized users to assume administrative roles and access restricted functionalities. Organizations using this vulnerable system face significant regulatory compliance risks, particularly under healthcare data protection regulations such as hipaa, where data breaches can result in substantial financial penalties and reputational damage. The disclosure of the exploit creates an immediate risk for all affected systems, as threat actors can readily implement the attack without requiring advanced technical skills or extensive reconnaissance.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-7172 should prioritize immediate patching of the vulnerable PHPGurukul Hospital Management System to the latest version that addresses this sql injection vulnerability. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms to prevent malicious sql payloads from being executed within the application. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened around the admin dashboard component to limit exposure to unauthorized users. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities within the application and its dependencies. The implementation of web application firewalls and sql injection detection systems can provide additional layers of protection against exploitation attempts. Organizations should also establish proper monitoring and logging of admin dashboard activities to detect anomalous behavior indicative of exploitation attempts. According to the mitre ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability aligns with techniques such as T1071.004 for application layer protocol manipulation and T1190 for exploit public-facing application, emphasizing the need for both defensive and detection capabilities. System administrators should also consider implementing database activity monitoring and privilege separation to minimize potential damage from successful exploitation attempts.