CVE-2024-5357 in Zoo Management System
Summary
by MITRE • 05/26/2024
A vulnerability has been found in PHPGurukul Zoo Management System 2.1 and classified as critical. Affected by this vulnerability is an unknown functionality of the file /admin/forgot-password.php. The manipulation of the argument email 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-266269 was assigned to this vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/21/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-5357 represents a critical sql injection flaw within the PHPGurukul Zoo Management System version 2.1, specifically affecting the administrative forgot-password functionality. This weakness exists in the /admin/forgot-password.php file where user input validation is insufficient, allowing malicious actors to manipulate the email parameter and execute arbitrary sql commands against the underlying database. The vulnerability's classification as critical stems from its remote exploitability and the potential for full database compromise, making it a prime target for automated attacks and exploitation by threat actors seeking unauthorized access to sensitive organizational data.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability follows the classic sql injection attack pattern where the email parameter is directly incorporated into sql query construction without proper sanitization or parameterization. This flaw aligns with CWE-89, which specifically addresses sql injection vulnerabilities in software applications. When an attacker submits malicious input through the email field, the application fails to validate or escape special sql characters, enabling attackers to inject sql payloads that can manipulate database queries. The remote nature of this exploit means that adversaries can leverage this vulnerability from external networks without requiring physical access to the system, significantly expanding the attack surface and potential impact.
The operational impact of CVE-2024-5357 extends beyond simple data theft, as sql injection vulnerabilities can enable attackers to escalate privileges, extract sensitive information, modify database contents, or even establish persistent access through database user account manipulation. Given that this vulnerability affects an administrative function, successful exploitation could provide attackers with access to user credentials, system configurations, and potentially administrative privileges within the zoo management system. The public disclosure of this exploit through VDB-266269 increases the likelihood of automated attacks, as malicious actors can readily implement the known techniques without requiring additional reconnaissance. This vulnerability directly maps to attack techniques described in the mitre ATT&CK framework under T1190 for exploitation of remote services and T1071.004 for application layer protocol usage, particularly focusing on web application attacks that leverage sql injection vectors.
Organizations utilizing the affected PHPGurukul Zoo Management System should immediately implement multiple layers of defense to mitigate this vulnerability. The primary remediation involves implementing proper input validation and parameterized queries in the forgot-password functionality, ensuring that all user inputs are sanitized before database interaction. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls and input filtering mechanisms can provide additional protection against sql injection attempts. System administrators should also conduct comprehensive security assessments of the entire application to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components, as this particular flaw may indicate broader security weaknesses in the application architecture. Regular security updates and patches should be applied immediately, while access controls should be reviewed to limit the potential damage from any successful exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of following secure coding practices and adhering to industry standards such as those recommended by owasp for preventing sql injection attacks through proper parameterization and input validation techniques.