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February 13, 2025
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How to Fix CVE-2024-32838: An SQL Injection Vulnerability in Apache Fineract's API Endpoints?
This article addresses a critical SQL injection vulnerability, CVE-2024-32838, affecting Apache Fineract, a widely used open-source platform for financial inclusion. This flaw allows authenticated attackers to inject malicious SQL commands through vulnerable API endpoints, potentially leading to severe consequences such as data breaches, manipulation, and system compromise. This guide provides security professionals with a comprehensive understanding of the vulnerability, its impact, and practical steps to remediate it, ensuring the protection of sensitive financial data.
A Short Introduction to Apache Finera
Apache Fineract is an open-source platform designed to provide core banking system capabilities, particularly for microfinance institutions (MFIs), credit unions, and other organizations focused on financial inclusion. It offers a range of features, including loan management, savings accounts, reporting, and integration with other financial services. Its flexible architecture and open-source nature make it a popular choice for organizations looking to build customized and scalable financial solutions.
Summary of CVE-2024-32838
CVE ID: CVE-2024-32838
Description: SQL Injection vulnerability in various API endpoints (offices, dashboards, etc.) in Apache Fineract.
CVSS Score: 9.4 (Critical)
CVSS Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
CVE-2024-32838 identifies a critical SQL injection vulnerability present in Apache Fineract versions 1.9 and earlier. The vulnerability resides in several API endpoints related to offices, dashboards, and other functionalities. An authenticated attacker with sufficient privileges can exploit this flaw by injecting malicious SQL code into query parameters of these REST API endpoints. Due to improper neutralization of special elements used in an SQL command, the injected code is executed against the backend database.
Impact of CVE-2024-32838
The successful exploitation of CVE-2024-32838 can have severe consequences for organizations using Apache Fineract:
Data Breach: Unauthorized access to sensitive financial data, including customer information, loan details, and account balances.
Data Manipulation: The ability to modify or delete critical data, leading to inaccurate financial records and potential fraud.
Privilege Escalation: An attacker might gain higher-level permissions within the application, potentially granting access to administrative functions.
System Compromise: In some scenarios, SQL injection can lead to complete system takeover, allowing the attacker to control the server hosting the Fineract instance.
The CVSS v4.0 base score of 9.4 (Critical) highlights the severity of this vulnerability, indicating a high risk to confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected systems. The attack vector being Network (AV:N) and attack complexity being Low (AC:L), coupled with no user interaction required (UI:N), makes this vulnerability easily exploitable. Learn what you should know about CVSS as a security professional.
Products Affected by CVE-2024-32838
The following Apache Fineract versions are affected by this vulnerability:
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Product
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Version(s) Affected
|
|---|---|
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Apache Fineract
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1.9 and earlier
|
The recommended action is to upgrade to version 1.10.1, which contains the necessary fix.
How to Check Your Product is Vulnerable?
To determine if your Apache Fineract instance is vulnerable to CVE-2024-32838, consider the following methods:
Version Check: The most straightforward approach is to check the version of your Fineract installation. Access the Fineract UI and navigate to the "About" section or system information page to identify the version number. If the version is 1.9 or earlier, your system is vulnerable.
API Endpoint Testing: You can attempt to manually test the API endpoints for SQL injection vulnerabilities. This involves injecting special characters or SQL keywords into the query parameters of various API endpoints and observing the response. If you encounter database errors or unexpected behavior, it might indicate a vulnerability.
Vulnerability Scanning: Utilize vulnerability scanning tools to automatically identify potential weaknesses in your Fineract instance. These tools can scan the application for common SQL injection patterns and report any findings.
Code Review: Conduct a thorough code review of your Fineract installation, paying close attention to the API endpoints and database interaction logic. Look for instances where user input is directly incorporated into SQL queries without proper sanitization or parameterization.
Web Application Firewall (WAF) Logs: Analyze your WAF logs for suspicious SQL queries or attempts to access sensitive data. WAFs can detect and block common SQL injection attacks, providing valuable insights into potential exploitation attempts.
How to Fix the Vulnerability?
The primary remediation strategy for CVE-2024-32838 is to upgrade Apache Fineract to version 1.10.1 or later. This version includes a patch that addresses the SQL injection vulnerability. Follow these steps to mitigate the risk:
1. Immediate Action: Upgrade to Apache Fineract version 1.10.1 or later.
2. If Immediate Upgrade is Not Possible: Implement the following workaround measures:
Input Validation and Sanitization: Implement robust input validation and sanitization for all user inputs, especially in API endpoints. Sanitize any data before incorporating it into SQL queries, filtering out special characters and potentially malicious code.
Prepared Statements or Parameterized Queries: Use prepared statements or parameterized queries to prevent SQL injection. This approach treats user inputs as data rather than executable code, effectively mitigating the risk of SQL injection.
Principle of Least Privilege: Apply the principle of least privilege to database accounts used by the application. Grant only the necessary permissions to these accounts, limiting the potential impact of a successful privilege escalation attack.
Monitor Logs: Monitor logs for suspicious SQL queries or unexpected database activities. Implement security logging and monitoring mechanisms that capture all database interactions, allowing you to identify and respond to potential attacks.
Review API Endpoints: Conduct a thorough review of all API endpoints for similar vulnerabilities. Ensure that all user inputs are properly validated and sanitized before being used in SQL queries.
Web Application Firewall (WAF): Implement WAF rules to detect and block SQL injection attempts. WAFs can provide an additional layer of protection by filtering out malicious requests before they reach the application.
3. Regularly Update and Patch: Regularly update and patch all components of the application stack. Staying up-to-date with the latest security patches is essential for protecting against known vulnerabilities.
Note: Apache Fineract has implemented a SQL Validator in the patched version, which allows configuration of tests and checks against SQL queries to validate and protect against nearly all potential SQL injection attacks.
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Arun KL
Arun KL is a cybersecurity professional with 15+ years of experience in IT infrastructure, cloud security, vulnerability management, Penetration Testing, security operations, and incident response. He is adept at designing and implementing robust security solutions to safeguard systems and data. Arun holds multiple industry certifications including CCNA, CCNA Security, RHCE, CEH, and AWS Security.
