CVE-2024-50828

Executive Summary

CVE-2024-50828 is a critical SQL Injection vulnerability discovered in the Kashipara E-learning Management System Project 1.0. The flaw resides in the /admin/edit_department.php endpoint, where the d parameter is directly concatenated into SQL queries without sanitization or parameterization. This allows unauthenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands, potentially leading to data exfiltration, authentication bypass, or full database compromise. The vulnerability has a public proof-of-concept (PoC) but no official patch, leaving all installations of version 1.0 exposed. Given the lack of vendor response and the ease of exploitation, this poses a significant risk to educational institutions and organizations using this platform.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability is not associated with any package manager (NPM, PyPI, Go, Ruby). It is a standalone PHP application. However, organizations should verify the integrity of their Kashipara E-learning Management System installation and consider it a high-risk component in their software supply chain.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

While no official CVSS vector is provided, based on the vulnerability characteristics, a reasonable assessment is:

• 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 is the database.
• Confidentiality (C): High (H) – full database read access.
• Integrity (I): High (H) – ability to modify or delete data.
• Availability (A): High (H) – potential for denial of service via destructive queries.

Estimated CVSS Score: 9.8 (Critical)

Threat Level: Critical. The vulnerability is trivial to exploit, has a public PoC, and no patch exists.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability is a classic SQL Injection in the edit_department.php script. The d parameter, presumably a department ID, is taken directly from the HTTP GET request and inserted into a SQL query without any sanitization, prepared statements, or stored procedures.

Vulnerable Code Snippet (Conceptual):

<?php
$id = $_GET['d'];
$query = "SELECT * FROM departments WHERE id = $id";
$result = mysqli_query($conn, $query);
?>

An attacker can manipulate the d parameter to break out of the intended SQL context. For example:

http://target.com/admin/edit_department.php?d=1 UNION SELECT username,password FROM users--

This would return the usernames and passwords from the users table instead of department data. The injection point is in the WHERE clause, allowing for UNION-based, error-based, or blind SQL injection techniques.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Code (Kashipara E-learning Management System 1.0):

<?php
// edit_department.php
$id = $_GET['d'];
$query = "SELECT * FROM departments WHERE id = $id";
$result = mysqli_query($conn, $query);
// ... display data
?>

Patched Code (Hypothetical):

<?php
// edit_department.php
$id = intval($_GET['d']); // Cast to integer
$query = "SELECT * FROM departments WHERE id = ?";
$stmt = mysqli_prepare($conn, $query);
mysqli_stmt_bind_param($stmt, "i", $id);
mysqli_stmt_execute($stmt);
$result = mysqli_stmt_get_result($stmt);
// ... display data
?>

The patched version uses intval() to ensure the input is an integer and employs a prepared statement with parameterized queries, completely eliminating SQL injection risk.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team

Lab Setup:

1. Download Kashipara E-learning Management System 1.0 from the official source (or archive).
2. Set up a LAMP/LEMP stack (Linux, Apache/Nginx, MySQL, PHP).
3. Deploy the application and ensure the /admin/edit_department.php endpoint is accessible.

Exploitation Steps:

1. Reconnaissance: Identify the vulnerable parameter by fuzzing the d parameter with special characters like ', ", --, etc.
2. Manual Exploitation: Use a browser or curl to test:

   curl "http://target.com/admin/edit_department.php?d=1'"
   

   If a SQL error is returned, the parameter is injectable.
3. Data Extraction: Use UNION-based injection to extract data:

   http://target.com/admin/edit_department.php?d=1 UNION SELECT 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10--
   

   Adjust the number of columns to match the original query.
4. Automated Exploitation: Use sqlmap for automated extraction:

   sqlmap -u "http://target.com/admin/edit_department.php?d=1" --batch --dbs
   

Exploit-DB Code: None available.

Blue Team

Detection & Response:

1. Web Application Firewall (WAF) Rules: Block requests containing SQL keywords in the d parameter.
2. Input Validation: Ensure all user inputs are validated and sanitized server-side.
3. Database Monitoring: Monitor for unusual queries, especially UNION, SELECT, or DROP statements.
4. Log Analysis: Look for repeated requests to /admin/edit_department.php with suspicious d parameter values.

Honeypot Strategy: Deploy a fake endpoint mimicking edit_department.php that logs all incoming requests and alerts on SQL-like patterns.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network IOCs:
  • HTTP GET requests to /admin/edit_department.php with d parameter containing SQL keywords (e.g., UNION, SELECT, --, ').
  • Unusual response sizes or error messages containing SQL syntax errors.
• File IOCs:
  • Modified edit_department.php file (if attacker uploads a backdoor).
  • Presence of sqlmap logs or similar tools on the server.
• Database IOCs:
  • Unexpected rows in users or admin tables.
  • New database users or privileges.
  • Queries with UNION or INTO OUTFILE statements.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2024_50828_SQLi_Detection {
    meta:
        description = "Detects SQL injection attempts targeting CVE-2024-50828 in Kashipara E-learning Management System"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2024-50828"
    strings:
        $sqli_pattern1 = /d=.*['\"]\s*(OR|AND|UNION|SELECT|DROP|INSERT|UPDATE|DELETE|--|#)/i
        $sqli_pattern2 = /d=.*\b(1=1|1=2|admin'--)\b/i
        $sqli_pattern3 = /d=.*\b(WAITFOR|DELAY|SLEEP|BENCHMARK)\b/i
    condition:
        any of them
}

Sigma Rule

title: SQL Injection Attempt Against Kashipara E-learning Management System
id: 8a9b3c4d-5e6f-7a8b-9c0d-1e2f3a4b5c6d
status: experimental
description: Detects SQL injection attempts targeting /admin/edit_department.php via the d parameter
author: Valters IT
date: 2025/04/10
references:
    - https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-50828
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
    service: access_log
detection:
    selection:
        cs-uri-query|contains: 
            - "d=1'"
            - "d=1%27"
            - "d=1 UNION"
            - "d=1' UNION"
            - "d=1 AND"
            - "d=1 OR"
            - "d=1--"
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of special characters in department names (unlikely)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2024-50828 SQL Injection Attempt"; flow:to_server,established; content:"/admin/edit_department.php"; http_uri; content:"d="; http_uri; pcre:"/d=.*['\"]\s*(OR|AND|UNION|SELECT|DROP|INSERT|UPDATE|DELETE|--|#)/i"; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Isolate the Application: If possible, take the vulnerable system offline or restrict network access to trusted IPs only.
2. Apply Virtual Patching: Use a WAF to block SQL injection patterns in the d parameter.
3. Manual Code Fix: Replace the vulnerable code with parameterized queries as shown in the patched code section.

Long-Term Solutions:

1. Upgrade: If a patched version becomes available, upgrade immediately.
2. Code Audit: Conduct a full security audit of the application for similar vulnerabilities.
3. Replace Application: Consider migrating to a more secure and actively maintained e-learning platform.

Compensating Controls:

• Implement strict input validation (allow only numeric values for d).
• Use a database user with minimal privileges (no DROP, INSERT, or UPDATE unless necessary).
• Enable detailed logging and monitoring for all admin endpoints.

Valters IT
Securing Digital Frontiers