CVE-2021-44966
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows attackers to bypass authentication in PHPGURUKUL Employee Record Management System 1.2 via SQL injection in index.php. Attackers can gain admin access and manipulate all sensitive data. Organizations using this specific version are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- PHPGURUKUL Employee Record Management System
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise: attackers gain admin privileges, exfiltrate all employee records, modify or delete critical data, and potentially pivot to other systems.
Likely Case
Unauthorized admin access leading to data theft, manipulation of employee records, and potential privilege escalation within the system.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper input validation, parameterized queries, and network segmentation preventing lateral movement.
🎯 Exploit Status
SQL injection in login mechanism allows authentication bypass without credentials. Public exploit code available.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Unknown
Vendor Advisory: No official vendor advisory found
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Check vendor website for updated version. 2. If no patch available, implement workarounds. 3. Consider replacing with alternative software.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input Validation and Sanitization
allImplement strict input validation and parameterized queries for all user inputs in index.php
Modify PHP code to use prepared statements: $stmt = $conn->prepare('SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = ? AND password = ?'); $stmt->bind_param('ss', $username, $password);
Web Application Firewall Rules
allDeploy WAF rules to block SQL injection patterns in login requests
Add WAF rule: Detect and block requests containing SQL keywords like UNION, SELECT, INSERT, DELETE in login parameters
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Isolate the system on separate network segment with strict access controls
- Implement multi-factor authentication and monitor for unusual login patterns
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Test login page with SQL injection payloads in username/password fields. Example: ' OR '1'='1Check Version:
Check application version in admin panel or readme filesVerify Fix Applied:
Attempt same SQL injection payloads after fixes - should receive proper authentication failure responses📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Multiple failed login attempts with SQL patterns
- Successful admin logins from unusual IPs
- Database error logs showing SQL syntax errors
Network Indicators:
- HTTP POST requests to index.php containing SQL keywords
- Unusual database query patterns from web server
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND (uri="/index.php" OR uri="/login.php") AND (request_body MATCHES "(?i)(union|select|insert|delete|or.*1.*1)")🔗 References
- https://github.com/nu11secur1ty/CVE-nu11secur1ty/tree/main/vendors/PHPGURUKUL/ANUJ%20KUMAR/Employee-Record-Management-System-SQL-Injection-Bypass-Authentication
- https://github.com/nu11secur1ty/CVE-nu11secur1ty/tree/main/vendors/PHPGURUKUL/ANUJ%20KUMAR/Employee-Record-Management-System-SQL-Injection-Bypass-Authentication
