CVE-2024-42844

Remediation / Mitigation Strategy for CVE-2024-42844 - EPICOR Prophet 21 SQL Injection

Vulnerability Description:

  • CVE ID: CVE-2024-42844
  • Product: EPICOR Prophet 21 (P21)
  • Affected Versions: Up to 23.2.5232
  • Vulnerability Type: SQL Injection
  • Description: A SQL Injection vulnerability exists in EPICOR Prophet 21. This allows authenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands through unsanitized user input fields. The vulnerability permits attackers to obtain unauthorized information from the database.

Severity:

  • CVSS Score: 8.1 (High)
    • Base Score: 8.1
    • Impact Subscore: 5.2
    • Exploitability Subscore: 2.8
  • Severity Level: High

Explanation of Severity: The High CVSS score reflects the potential for significant damage. Successful exploitation allows an attacker to directly query the database, potentially extracting sensitive information like customer data, financial records, or internal system details. The low attack vector is relatively complex and require authentication.

Known Exploit/Proof of Concept:

While the provided information doesn’t explicitly mention a publicly available exploit, the nature of SQL Injection vulnerabilities means that proof-of-concept exploits and attack techniques are likely to be developed and shared relatively quickly once the vulnerability becomes widely known.

Remediation and Mitigation Strategy:

The primary goal is to prevent attackers from injecting malicious SQL code into the application. This can be achieved through a combination of code fixes, configuration changes, and monitoring.

1. Patching:

  • Priority: Critical. This is the most important step.
  • Action: Immediately apply the latest security patch released by EPICOR for Prophet 21 that addresses CVE-2024-42844. Contact EPICOR support to obtain the appropriate patch if it’s not readily available through standard update channels.
  • Verification: After applying the patch, thoroughly test all affected functionalities to ensure the vulnerability is resolved and that the patch hasn’t introduced any new issues.

2. Input Validation and Sanitization:

  • Priority: High. As a defense-in-depth measure, implement robust input validation and sanitization.
  • Action:
    • Identify all user input fields that are used in SQL queries.
    • Implement strict input validation on the server-side to ensure that only expected data types and formats are accepted. This includes validating length, format, and character sets.
    • Sanitize all user inputs before they are used in SQL queries. Use parameterized queries (also known as prepared statements) or properly escape user-provided input to prevent SQL injection. Avoid dynamic SQL generation wherever possible.
    • Blacklisting is generally not recommended as the sole method of preventing SQL Injection. Parameterization/prepared statements are preferred. If blacklisting is used, ensure it is comprehensive and regularly updated.
  • Note: Consider engaging a security consultant to review your codebase for vulnerabilities that may be present in your code and could be leveraged to exploit the server.

3. Least Privilege Principle:

  • Priority: Medium.
  • Action: Ensure that the database user accounts used by Prophet 21 have only the minimum necessary privileges required for the application to function correctly. Avoid using overly permissive accounts like “sa” or “db_owner.” Grant only SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE permissions as needed.
  • Benefit: Limits the impact of a successful SQL injection attack. Even if an attacker can execute SQL commands, they will be restricted by the privileges of the database user account.

4. Web Application Firewall (WAF):

  • Priority: Medium. This is a good defensive layer in front of the application.
  • Action: Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) and configure it to detect and block SQL injection attempts. Regularly update the WAF’s rule set to protect against new and emerging attack patterns.
  • Benefit: Provides an additional layer of defense and can detect and block attacks before they reach the application.

5. Regular Security Audits and Penetration Testing:

  • Priority: Medium. Regularly check your security practices and update them based on new threats.
  • Action: Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing to identify and address any security vulnerabilities in Prophet 21 and its underlying infrastructure. Penetration testing should specifically focus on SQL injection vulnerabilities.
  • Benefit: Proactively identifies and mitigates vulnerabilities before they can be exploited by attackers.

6. Monitoring and Logging:

  • Priority: Medium.
  • Action:
    • Implement comprehensive logging of all database activity, including SQL queries.
    • Monitor logs for suspicious activity, such as unusually long SQL queries, queries containing special characters or keywords associated with SQL injection attacks, or attempts to access sensitive data.
    • Set up alerts to notify security personnel of suspicious activity.
  • Benefit: Provides early warning of potential attacks and allows for rapid response.

7. User Awareness Training:

  • Priority: Low.
  • Action: Educate users about the risks of SQL injection and other web application vulnerabilities. Train them to recognize and report suspicious emails or websites that may be used in phishing attacks.
  • Benefit: Reduces the risk of users falling victim to social engineering attacks that could be used to gain access to the system.

Timeline for Remediation:

  • Patching: Within 24-48 hours of patch availability.
  • Input Validation/Sanitization Review: Within 1 week.
  • Least Privilege Implementation: Within 1 week.
  • WAF Implementation/Configuration: Within 1 week.
  • Security Audit/Penetration Testing: Scheduled quarterly or bi-annually.
  • Monitoring and Logging: Continuous.

Communication Plan:

  • Inform relevant stakeholders (IT security team, application owners, database administrators) about the vulnerability and the remediation plan.
  • Communicate the timeline for remediation and any potential impact on system availability.
  • Provide regular updates on the progress of the remediation effort.

Fallback Plan:

If patching is not immediately possible, implement mitigating controls such as WAF rules and strict input validation. Monitor the system closely for any signs of suspicious activity.

By implementing these remediation and mitigation strategies, you can significantly reduce the risk of SQL injection attacks against EPICOR Prophet 21 and protect your organization’s sensitive data. Remember to prioritize patching and proactive security measures.

Assigner

Date

  • Published Date: 2025-03-06 15:15:16
  • Updated Date: 2025-03-06 17:15:19

More Details

CVE-2024-42844