CVE-2024-0460 is a critical SQL Injection vulnerability identified in version 1.0 of the code-projects Faculty Management System, specifically affecting the /admin/pages/student-print.php file. SQL Injection (CWE-89) vulnerabilities occur when untrusted input is improperly sanitized and directly used in SQL queries, allowing an attacker to manipulate the backend database. In this case, the vulnerability allows remote attackers to inject malicious SQL commands without requiring user interaction but does require some level of privileges (PR:L) as indicated by the CVSS vector. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the system, as attackers can potentially extract sensitive data, modify records, or disrupt database operations. Although no public exploits are currently known to be in the wild, the exploit details have been disclosed publicly, increasing the risk of exploitation. The CVSS score of 6.3 (medium severity) reflects the network attack vector, low attack complexity, and lack of user interaction, but the requirement for privileges limits the ease of exploitation somewhat. The Faculty Management System is typically used by educational institutions to manage student and faculty data, making the data stored highly sensitive. The vulnerability's presence in an administrative page suggests that attackers with some access could escalate their privileges or extract sensitive information, potentially impacting student records, grades, or personal information.

For European organizations, particularly educational institutions using the affected Faculty Management System version 1.0, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to the confidentiality and integrity of student and faculty data. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized disclosure of personal data protected under GDPR, resulting in legal and financial penalties. Integrity impacts could include unauthorized grade changes or falsification of academic records, undermining institutional trust. Availability could also be affected if attackers execute disruptive SQL commands. The risk is heightened for institutions with limited IT security resources or those slow to apply patches or mitigations. Additionally, given the public disclosure of the vulnerability, the likelihood of targeted attacks against European educational entities increases, especially in countries with large numbers of institutions using this software or similar legacy systems. The breach of educational data can also have reputational consequences and may affect students’ privacy rights under European law.

Since no official patches are currently available, European organizations should implement immediate compensating controls. These include: 1) Restricting access to the /admin/pages/student-print.php page to only trusted and authenticated administrators via network segmentation and strict access controls. 2) Implementing Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns targeting this endpoint. 3) Conducting thorough input validation and sanitization on all user inputs, especially those interacting with SQL queries, ideally using parameterized queries or prepared statements if source code access is possible. 4) Monitoring database logs and application logs for unusual queries or errors indicative of injection attempts. 5) Planning and prioritizing an upgrade or patch deployment once available from the vendor. 6) Educating administrative users about the risks and signs of compromise. 7) Regular backups of critical data to enable recovery in case of data integrity attacks. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on immediate access restrictions and monitoring tailored to the vulnerable component.