A critical vulnerability, CVE-2022-3671, has been discovered in the widely used SourceCodester eLearning System 1.. This vulnerability affects the unknown code within the /admin/students/manage.php file. The manipulation of the argument "id" can potentially lead to SQL injection attacks, severely compromising the integrity and security of the system. As the attack can be initiated remotely, it becomes essential for organizations and users to be aware of the vulnerability and its potential implications. This vulnerability has been assigned the identifier VDB-212014.

Exploit Details

The CVE-2022-3671 vulnerability is triggered by the improper handling of the "id" argument in the manage.php file found in the /admin/student/ directory of the eLearning System. When a user submits a crafted value for the "id" argument, the eLearning System does not properly sanitize this input, allowing an attacker to perform SQL injection. This attack can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, modification of data, and even potentially executing malicious commands on the system.

Affected Systems

The critical vulnerability affects the SourceCodester eLearning System version 1..

The following code snippet from the manage.php file showcases the vulnerability

<?php
  //...
  $id = $_GET['id'];
  $sql = "SELECT * FROM students WHERE id = '$id'";
  //...
?>

In this snippet, the $id variable is retrieved directly from user input without any sanitation or validation, which can lead to SQL injection.

Proof of Concept Exploit

A potential attacker can exploit this vulnerability by submitting a crafted input as the "id" argument. For example, they can use the following URL to initiate the attack:

http://example.com/admin/students/manage.php?id=[SQL INJECTION PAYLOAD]

This will allow the attacker to inject their own SQL commands, allowing unauthorized access to and manipulation of sensitive data within the eLearning System.

Mitigation

To mitigate this vulnerability, proper input validation and sanitation need to be implemented within the manage.php file in the /admin/students/ directory. One recommended approach is to use prepared statements with bound variables instead of directly inserting user input into the SQL query. Following is an example of how to securely handle the "id" variable using PHP and MySQLi:

<?php
  //...
  $id = $_GET['id'];
  $stmt = $conn->prepare("SELECT * FROM students WHERE id = ?");
  $stmt->bind_param("i", $id);
  $stmt->execute();
  //...
?>

By using prepared statements and bound variables, your system will be protected from SQL injection attacks targeting this vulnerability.

For more information on this vulnerability, refer to the following resources

1. CVE-2022-3671
2. Vulnerability Details (VDB-212014)

Conclusion

The CVE-2022-3671 vulnerability is a critical threat to the security and integrity of the SourceCodester eLearning System 1.. By understanding the exploit details and implementing proper input validation and sanitation techniques, organizations and users can protect themselves and their systems against the potential damage caused by this vulnerability. Stay vigilant and monitor your systems for any indicators of unauthorized access.

Timeline

Published on: 10/26/2022 17:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 10/28/2022 01:30:00 UTC