CVE-2021-43631 – This vulnerability allows attackers to execute ... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2021-43631?

CVE-2021-43631 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (CRITICAL). This vulnerability allows attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands through the appointment_no parameter in payment.php. It affects Hospital Management System v1.0 installations, potentially compromising patient data and system integrity. Any organization using this specific version is vulnerable.

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability allows attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands through the appointment_no parameter in payment.php. It affects Hospital Management System v1.0 installations, potentially compromising patient data and system integrity. Any organization using this specific version is vulnerable.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Projectworlds Hospital Management System

Versions: v1.0

Operating Systems: Any OS running PHP

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: All installations of v1.0 are vulnerable. The system appears to be a free PHP project without enterprise support.

📦 What is this software?

Hospital Management System In Php by Projectworlds

View all CVEs affecting Hospital Management System In Php →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete database compromise leading to data theft, data manipulation, authentication bypass, and potential remote code execution through database functions.

🟠

Likely Case

Unauthorized access to sensitive patient records, appointment data, and financial information stored in the database.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact with proper input validation and database permissions, potentially only allowing data viewing without modification.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - The vulnerability is in a web application parameter that can be exploited remotely without authentication.

🏢 Internal Only: HIGH - Even internal systems are vulnerable to authenticated or unauthenticated attacks depending on configuration.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: LOW

SQL injection vulnerabilities are commonly weaponized. The public GitHub issue demonstrates the vulnerability clearly.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Unknown

Vendor Advisory: None available

Restart Required: No

Instructions:

No official patch available. Consider: 1. Review the GitHub issue for community fixes 2. Implement parameterized queries 3. Add input validation for appointment_no parameter 4. Consider migrating to a supported system

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Input Validation and Sanitization

all

Add server-side validation to ensure appointment_no contains only expected characters (numbers)

Modify payment.php to validate appointment_no parameter before processing

Web Application Firewall (WAF)

all

Deploy WAF rules to block SQL injection patterns

Add SQL injection detection rules to your WAF configuration

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Isolate the system from internet access and restrict internal network access
Implement strict database permissions and monitor for unusual SQL queries

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Test payment.php with SQL injection payloads in appointment_no parameter (e.g., ' OR '1'='1)

Check Version:

Check the system version in documentation or configuration files

Verify Fix Applied:

Test with same payloads after implementing fixes - should return error or no data

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unusual SQL errors in application logs
Multiple failed appointment lookups
SQL keywords in appointment_no parameter values

Network Indicators:

HTTP requests to payment.php with SQL injection patterns in parameters

SIEM Query:

web.url:*payment.php* AND (web.param.appointment_no:*OR* OR web.param.appointment_no:*UNION* OR web.param.appointment_no:*SELECT*)

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2021-43631

CVSS v3 Score: 9.8 (CRITICAL)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-89

Published: December 22, 2021

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

https://github.com/projectworldsofficial/hospital-management-system-in-php/issues/5 Exploit,Issue Tracking,Third Party Advisory
https://projectworlds.in/free-projects/php-projects/hospital-management-system-in-php/ Product
https://github.com/projectworldsofficial/hospital-management-system-in-php/issues/5 Exploit,Issue Tracking,Third Party Advisory
https://projectworlds.in/free-projects/php-projects/hospital-management-system-in-php/ Product

📤 Share & Export

📄 Export Markdown 📋 Export JSON

🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

If you're affected by CVE-2021-43631, you might also want to check these: