Overview
This blog post aims to provide an in-depth analysis of a recently discovered security vulnerability, CVE-2024-52874, that specifically affects Infoblox NETMRI versions before 7.6.1. This vulnerability is a serious security concern as it allows authenticated users to perform SQL injection attacks, thus exposing potential system compromise or data leakage.
Given the severity and the widespread use of Infoblox NETMRI, it is crucial that system administrators and cybersecurity professionals understand the risks associated with this vulnerability, ways in which it can be exploited, and most importantly, the measures needed to mitigate its potential impact.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2024-52874
Severity: High (8.8 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: User
User Interaction: Required
Impact: System compromise and potential data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Infoblox NETMRI | Before 7.6.1
How the Exploit Works
An authenticated user with malicious intent can exploit this vulnerability by injecting crafted SQL code into the application, which then gets passed to the SQL server for execution. The application does not properly validate or sanitize the user input, allowing the SQL code to manipulate the database query in unintended ways. This could potentially allow the attacker to view, modify, or delete data they would not otherwise have access to, leading to system compromise or data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
Below is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. The example shows an HTTP POST request that contains a malicious SQL payload.
POST /vulnerable/endpoint HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/json
{ "user_input": "admin'; DROP TABLE users; --" }In the example above, the malicious payload `’admin’; DROP TABLE users; –` will cause the database to execute the DROP TABLE command if the application does not properly sanitize the input, leading to the deletion of the entire “users” table.
Mitigation Guidance
To mitigate this vulnerability, it is recommended to upgrade Infoblox NETMRI to version 7.6.1 or later, where this vulnerability has been patched. If upgrading is not immediately possible, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as temporary mitigation, as they can detect and block SQL injection attacks. Additionally, it is recommended to follow best practices for secure coding to prevent such vulnerabilities in the future. These practices include proper input validation, use of prepared statements or parameterized queries, and least privilege access controls.