CVE-2024-23538 in Fineract
Summary
by MITRE • 03/29/2024
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability in Apache Fineract.This issue affects Apache Fineract: <1.8.5.
Users are recommended to upgrade to version 1.8.5 or 1.9.0, which fix the issue.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/13/2024
The vulnerability CVE-2024-23538 represents a critical SQL injection flaw within Apache Fineract, a comprehensive financial services platform designed for microfinance institutions. This security weakness stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly neutralize special elements within SQL commands. The vulnerability specifically impacts versions prior to 1.8.5, making older deployments particularly susceptible to exploitation by malicious actors seeking unauthorized access to financial data and system resources.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-89, which specifically addresses SQL injection attacks where untrusted data is incorporated into SQL queries without proper sanitization. Apache Fineract's affected components likely process user inputs through direct SQL query construction rather than employing prepared statements or parameterized queries, creating an attack surface where malicious SQL fragments can be injected and executed with the privileges of the database user. This flaw allows attackers to manipulate database queries through carefully crafted input parameters that bypass normal validation checks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as successful exploitation could enable attackers to execute arbitrary database commands, modify financial records, extract sensitive customer information, or even escalate privileges within the system. Financial institutions using Apache Fineract are particularly at risk since the platform typically handles sensitive monetary data, customer personal information, and transactional records. The attack surface is further amplified by the fact that this vulnerability could potentially be leveraged to gain deeper access to underlying database systems, especially if the application's database user has elevated privileges.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation by upgrading to Apache Fineract version 1.8.5 or the newer 1.9.0 release, which implements proper input validation and parameterized query execution to prevent SQL injection attacks. Additional mitigations should include implementing web application firewalls, conducting comprehensive input validation at multiple layers, and establishing robust database access controls. Security teams should also perform thorough penetration testing and code reviews to identify any other potential injection points within the application. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1190, which describes the exploitation of vulnerabilities to gain access to systems, and represents a critical threat to financial data integrity and system availability.