CVE-2024-53603
📋 TL;DR
This SQL injection vulnerability in PHPGurukul COVID 19 Testing Management System allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the contactno parameter in the password recovery function. Attackers could potentially access, modify, or delete database content. All deployments of version 1.0 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- PHPGurukul COVID 19 Testing Management System
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete database compromise leading to data theft, authentication bypass, remote code execution via database functions, and potential system takeover.
Likely Case
Database information disclosure, credential theft, and potential privilege escalation within the application.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper input validation and database permissions restricting damage to non-sensitive data.
🎯 Exploit Status
The password recovery page is typically accessible without authentication. SQL injection via POST parameter is straightforward to exploit.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Unknown
Vendor Advisory: Not available
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
No official patch available. Consider migrating to a supported alternative or implementing custom fixes.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input Validation Filter
allAdd server-side validation to only accept numeric values for contactno parameter
Add to password-recovery.php: if(!is_numeric($_POST['contactno'])) { die('Invalid input'); }
WAF Rule
allBlock SQL injection patterns in contactno parameter
WAF rule: Block requests with SQL keywords in contactno parameter
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable the password recovery functionality entirely
- Implement network segmentation to restrict access to the vulnerable endpoint
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Test the /covid-tms/password-recovery.php endpoint with SQL injection payloads in contactno parameterCheck Version:
Check application version in source code or configuration filesVerify Fix Applied:
Verify that SQL injection attempts no longer succeed and input validation is enforced📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual SQL errors in application logs
- Multiple failed password recovery attempts with SQL patterns
Network Indicators:
- POST requests to password-recovery.php containing SQL keywords
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND url="/covid-tms/password-recovery.php" AND (request_body CONTAINS "UNION" OR request_body CONTAINS "SELECT" OR request_body CONTAINS "OR 1=1")