CVE-2024-5396 in Online Student Enrollment System
Summary
by MITRE • 05/27/2024
A vulnerability classified as critical has been found in itsourcecode Online Student Enrollment System 1.0. Affected is an unknown function of the file newfaculty.php. The manipulation of the argument name leads to sql injection. It is possible to launch the attack remotely. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used. VDB-266310 is the identifier assigned to this vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/11/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-5396 represents a critical sql injection flaw within the itsourcecode Online Student Enrollment System version 1.0. This system, designed for academic institution use, handles sensitive student enrollment data through web interfaces that are now compromised by this vulnerability. The flaw specifically manifests in the newfaculty.php file where an unvalidated input parameter named name is processed without proper sanitization or parameterization. This represents a classic sql injection vector that allows attackers to manipulate database queries through malicious input payloads. The vulnerability's classification as critical stems from its remote exploitation capability, meaning attackers can leverage this flaw from outside the network perimeter without requiring local system access or authentication credentials.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker submits malicious input through the name parameter in the newfaculty.php script. The application fails to implement proper input validation or parameterized queries, allowing sql commands embedded within the input to be executed directly against the underlying database. This flaw enables attackers to perform unauthorized data access, modification, or deletion operations, potentially compromising the entire student enrollment database. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-89 which defines sql injection as the insertion of malicious sql fragments into input data that is then processed by a sql interpreter. This weakness falls under the broader category of injection flaws that are among the most prevalent and dangerous security vulnerabilities in web applications.
Operationally, this vulnerability presents severe consequences for educational institutions using this software. Remote exploitation means that threat actors can target the system from anywhere on the internet, potentially leading to unauthorized access to student records, personal information, enrollment data, and academic transcripts. The impact extends beyond simple data theft to include potential system compromise, data corruption, and service disruption that could affect thousands of students and faculty members. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges within the database, extract sensitive information for identity theft or fraud purposes, or even establish persistent backdoors within the system. The public disclosure of the exploit further amplifies the risk as it provides attackers with ready-made tools and techniques to target vulnerable installations.
Organizations using the itsourcecode Online Student Enrollment System must implement immediate mitigations to address this vulnerability. The primary remediation involves implementing proper input validation and parameterized queries throughout the application code, specifically in the newfaculty.php file and related components. Database access should be restricted through principle of least privilege, ensuring that application accounts have minimal required permissions. Network-level protections including web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems should be deployed to monitor and block malicious sql injection attempts. Regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities across the entire codebase. This vulnerability also aligns with several ATT&CK techniques including T1190 for exploitation of remote services and T1071.004 for application layer protocol usage, emphasizing the need for comprehensive defensive measures that address both network and application-level threats. System administrators should also implement monitoring solutions to detect unusual database access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, and maintain regular backups to ensure business continuity in case of successful attacks.