CVE-2024-42561 in Pharmacy Management System
Summary
by MITRE • 08/20/2024
Pharmacy Management System commit a2efc8 was discovered to contain a SQL injection vulnerability via the invoice_number parameter at sales_report.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/21/2024
The Pharmacy Management System version commit a2efc8 contains a critical SQL injection vulnerability that poses significant security risks to healthcare organizations relying on this software for patient medication management and financial reporting. This vulnerability specifically affects the sales_report.php endpoint where the invoice_number parameter is processed without adequate input validation or sanitization measures. The flaw allows malicious actors to inject arbitrary SQL code into the database query execution flow, potentially enabling unauthorized access to sensitive patient pharmaceutical records, financial transaction data, and other confidential information stored within the system's backend database infrastructure.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper parameter handling within the application's database interaction layer. When the invoice_number parameter is submitted through the sales_report.php script, the application directly incorporates user-supplied input into SQL query construction without employing prepared statements or proper input sanitization techniques. This design flaw creates an exploitable entry point where attackers can manipulate the SQL query structure by injecting malicious payload sequences such as single quotes, semicolons, or boolean operators that alter the intended query execution path. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-89 which categorizes improper neutralization of special elements used in SQL commands as a fundamental weakness in database security practices.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure to encompass potential system compromise and regulatory compliance violations. Healthcare organizations utilizing this pharmacy management system face substantial risk of data breaches that could expose protected health information (PHI) of patients, violating hipaa regulations and potentially resulting in significant financial penalties. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to extract complete patient medication histories, prescription details, billing records, and personal identification information stored in the database. The compromised system may also allow unauthorized modification of pharmaceutical inventory data, manipulation of billing records, or even complete database destruction through malicious sql injection payloads that exploit the vulnerability's root cause.
Organizations should immediately implement multiple layers of mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability. The primary remediation involves implementing proper parameterized queries or prepared statements throughout the application's database interaction code to prevent user input from being interpreted as executable sql code. Input validation and sanitization measures must be strengthened at the application boundary to filter out potentially malicious characters and patterns before database processing occurs. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls (wafs) with sql injection detection capabilities can provide additional protection layers while permanent code fixes are implemented. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities throughout the application codebase, with particular attention to all database interaction points. The remediation process should follow established security frameworks such as those outlined in the mitre attack framework's database access techniques and should align with nist cybersecurity framework guidelines for protecting healthcare information systems against known vulnerabilities.