CVE-2024-3440 in Prison Management System
Summary
by MITRE • 04/08/2024
A vulnerability was found in SourceCodester Prison Management System 1.0. It has been declared as critical. Affected by this vulnerability is an unknown functionality of the file /Admin/edit_profile.php. The manipulation leads to sql injection. The attack can be launched remotely. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used. The identifier VDB-259693 was assigned to this vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/11/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-3440 represents a critical sql injection flaw within the SourceCodester Prison Management System version 1.0, specifically affecting the administrative profile editing functionality. This system, designed for managing prison operations and inmate records, contains a dangerous input validation weakness that allows attackers to manipulate database queries through the /Admin/edit_profile.php endpoint. The vulnerability's classification as critical stems from its potential to provide unauthorized access to sensitive institutional data, including prisoner information, staff records, and operational details that could compromise security and privacy. The attack vector is remote, meaning malicious actors can exploit this flaw without requiring physical access to the system infrastructure, making it particularly dangerous for organizations operating web-based prison management solutions.
The technical implementation of this sql injection vulnerability occurs when user input passed through the profile editing interface is not properly sanitized or parameterized before being incorporated into database queries. Attackers can craft malicious input that alters the intended query structure, potentially extracting, modifying, or deleting sensitive data from the underlying database. This flaw directly maps to CWE-89 which defines sql injection as the insertion of malicious sql statements into input fields for execution by the database. The vulnerability's exploitation capability has been publicly disclosed and documented in VDB-259693, indicating that threat actors have already developed working exploits that could be deployed against vulnerable systems. The remote exploit nature means that attackers can target the system from any location with internet access, potentially affecting multiple installations of the same vulnerable software version across different institutions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data compromise to potentially enable full system takeover and unauthorized administrative access. An attacker who successfully exploits this sql injection could gain access to the entire database backend, potentially leading to data breaches, unauthorized modifications of prisoner records, or even complete system control. The implications for prison management systems are particularly severe given the sensitive nature of the data involved, including personal information of inmates, staff members, and operational details that could be exploited for criminal activities or to undermine institutional security. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the prison management system, potentially disrupting critical operations and creating security gaps that could be exploited by organized criminal networks or nation-state actors.
Organizations utilizing the SourceCodester Prison Management System must implement immediate mitigations to address this critical vulnerability. The primary defense mechanism involves implementing proper input validation and parameterized queries throughout the application code, specifically within the edit_profile.php functionality. This approach aligns with ATT&CK technique T1190 which focuses on exploiting vulnerabilities in web applications through sql injection attacks. System administrators should also deploy web application firewalls to monitor and filter malicious sql injection attempts, implement least privilege access controls for administrative functions, and conduct thorough penetration testing to identify additional attack surfaces. Regular security updates and patches should be applied immediately upon availability, while comprehensive logging and monitoring systems should be implemented to detect exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's public disclosure status necessitates urgent remediation efforts, as the window for exploitation by malicious actors is rapidly closing. Organizations should also consider implementing database activity monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous sql query patterns indicative of injection attacks, ensuring that any exploitation attempts are quickly identified and responded to.