CVE-2024-42566 in School Management System
Summary
by MITRE • 08/20/2024
School Management System commit bae5aa was discovered to contain a SQL injection vulnerability via the password parameter at login.php
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/22/2024
The School Management System version containing commit bae5aa presents a critical SQL injection vulnerability that directly impacts the authentication mechanism through the password parameter in the login.php file. This vulnerability represents a fundamental flaw in input validation and query construction that allows malicious actors to manipulate database queries through crafted user input. The issue stems from improper sanitization of the password parameter before incorporating it into SQL statements, creating an exploitable entry point for database manipulation attacks.
This vulnerability falls under the CWE-89 category of SQL Injection, which is classified as a high-risk security flaw in the Common Weakness Enumeration framework. The specific nature of the vulnerability allows attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms by injecting malicious SQL code through the password field during login attempts. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it targets the core authentication process, potentially enabling unauthorized access to the entire school management system. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple authentication bypass to include potential data exfiltration, modification of student records, teacher information, and administrative data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it compromises the integrity and confidentiality of sensitive educational data. Attackers could exploit this flaw to gain unauthorized access to student records, grades, personal information, and administrative credentials. The system's database could be subjected to data manipulation, deletion, or unauthorized access, potentially affecting thousands of students and staff members. The vulnerability also creates opportunities for lateral movement within the network if the system shares database credentials with other applications, as highlighted by ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1046 for network service scanning.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate implementation of parameterized queries or prepared statements to prevent SQL injection attacks, thorough input validation and sanitization of all user-supplied data, and regular security code reviews focusing on database interaction points. The system administrators should implement proper access controls and monitoring for login attempts, deploy web application firewalls to detect and block malicious SQL injection attempts, and ensure that all database users have minimal required privileges. Additionally, the system should be updated to the latest version containing the patched commit and regular security assessments should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the school management system. The vulnerability underscores the importance of secure coding practices and proper database access controls as outlined in OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity frameworks.