CVE-2024-42562 is a critical SQL injection vulnerability identified in the Pharmacy Management System, specifically within the invoice_number parameter in the preview.php script. The vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation and sanitization, allowing attackers to inject malicious SQL queries directly into the backend database. This enables unauthorized data access, modification, or deletion, potentially compromising the entire database's confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable over the network without requiring any authentication or user interaction, as indicated by the CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N). The high CVSS score of 9.8 reflects the ease of exploitation combined with severe impact. Although no specific affected versions are listed, the presence of this vulnerability in a Pharmacy Management System is particularly concerning due to the sensitive nature of healthcare data, including patient records and medication information. No patches or fixes have been released at the time of publication, and no known exploits have been observed in the wild, but the risk of exploitation remains high given the criticality and straightforward attack vector. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-89, which corresponds to SQL Injection, a well-known and widely exploited attack vector. Organizations using this system must prioritize remediation to prevent potential data breaches or service disruptions.

The impact of CVE-2024-42562 is severe for organizations worldwide, especially those in the healthcare sector relying on the affected Pharmacy Management System. Successful exploitation can lead to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive patient and pharmaceutical data, violating privacy regulations such as HIPAA or GDPR. Attackers could manipulate or delete critical data, disrupting pharmacy operations and potentially endangering patient safety. The vulnerability also allows attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands, which could be leveraged to escalate privileges, pivot within the network, or deploy ransomware. The lack of authentication and user interaction requirements increases the attack surface, enabling remote attackers to exploit the vulnerability at scale. This could result in significant financial losses, reputational damage, regulatory penalties, and operational downtime. Given the critical nature of healthcare services, the threat extends beyond data loss to potential harm to patients and public health infrastructure.

To mitigate CVE-2024-42562, organizations should immediately implement input validation and parameterized queries or prepared statements to prevent SQL injection attacks. Specifically, the invoice_number parameter in preview.php must be sanitized and validated against expected formats (e.g., numeric or alphanumeric constraints). Employing web application firewalls (WAFs) with SQL injection detection rules can provide an additional layer of defense while patches are developed. Conduct thorough code reviews and security testing focused on injection vulnerabilities across the entire Pharmacy Management System. Restrict database permissions to the minimum necessary to limit the impact of any potential injection. Monitor logs for unusual database queries or errors indicative of injection attempts. Engage with the software vendor or development team to obtain or develop patches promptly. Additionally, implement network segmentation to isolate critical healthcare systems and maintain regular backups to enable recovery in case of compromise. Educate staff on the risks and signs of exploitation to enhance detection and response capabilities.