External risk intelligence

ACEweb Online Portal SQL Injection Vulnerability

CVE advisorySeverity: CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8)

CVE-2022-24240

The vulnerable product is an online portal, which by design is intended to be an internet-facing web application for public or user access. As a web-based portal exposed via a network parameter, it represents a standard public-facing service pattern.

SQL Injection

Aceware Aceweb Online Portal

before 3.5.068

Halo Surface Signal: 5 out of 5 — more likely to be public-facing.

External exposure likelihood

Horizon Alert

Summary of the vulnerability and why it matters

A SQL injection vulnerability has been identified in ACEweb Online Portal, a technology that facilitates online access. This flaw could potentially allow unauthorized individuals to manipulate or access sensitive data within the portal. The primary concern is to determine if your organization utilizes this specific software and if it is exposed to potential threats.

SQL injection flaw in online portal software.
Critical vulnerability impacts network-accessible systems.
Confirm relevance and exposure of online portal.

Attack Path

How an attacker could exploit the issue

An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending specially crafted requests to an internet-facing ACEweb Online Portal. The vulnerability lies within the `showschedule.awp` component, specifically when handling requests with a `criteria` parameter. Successful exploitation could allow an attacker to manipulate database queries, potentially leading to unauthorized access, data modification, or denial of service.

Accessible via the network.
SQL injection through `criteria` parameter.
Database manipulation and unauthorized access.

Live Threat

Current exploitation, exposure, and threat context

This vulnerability could allow an unauthenticated attacker to inject malicious SQL code into the system by providing crafted input to the `criteria` parameter in `showschedule.awp`. When supported by the advisory, this could lead to unauthorized access, modification, or deletion of data stored within the ACEweb Online Portal.

Database contents and integrity at risk.
Malicious SQL code injection via a web parameter.
Unauthorized access to sensitive system data.

Operational Fix

Recommended remediation, mitigation, and detection steps

Teams responsible for the ACEweb Online Portal should prioritize identifying all instances of the affected software, confirming their internet reachability and business criticality, and then locating the accountable system owner to coordinate remediation. This initial triage is crucial for assessing risk and planning effective mitigation strategies.

Application owners should manage the issue.
Verify external reachability and business impact.
Plan vendor coordination and risk reduction.

Supplementary metadata

CVSS vector

Validate whether this threat affects your internet-facing exposure.

Halo Threat Intelligence helps prioritize remediation with Halo Surface Signal and H/A/L/O context. Start exposure validation with a free external attack surface trial.

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Frequently asked questions

What is ACEweb Online Portal?

ACEweb Online Portal is a software platform developed by Aceware. It is typically used to provide users with online access to scheduling, registration, or similar administrative functions via a web interface.

What does CVE-2022-24240 mean for security?

This vulnerability is a SQL injection (CWE-89). It occurs when a web application fails to properly clean user-provided data before using it in a database query. In this case, the flaw allows an attacker to inject their own database commands to potentially view, change, or delete sensitive information stored by the portal.

How can an attacker trigger this SQL injection?

The vulnerability is triggered by sending specially crafted input to the 'criteria' parameter within the 'showschedule.awp' component. It does not occur through normal navigation of the site; it requires an attacker to intentionally submit malicious code in that specific parameter. Actions that do not involve interacting with this specific parameter and file path do not trigger the bug.

Is my instance relevant according to Halo Surface Signal?

Halo Surface Signal identifies that because ACEweb Online Portal is designed as a web-based service for user access, it is typically deployed in an internet-facing configuration. If your portal is accessible from the public internet, it falls into the category of systems that are directly reachable by potential attackers, making this vulnerability highly relevant to your security posture.

What steps should I take if I run this software?

Start by auditing your environment to locate all running instances of ACEweb Online Portal and identify their specific versions. Verify whether your systems are exposed to the internet. Once mapped, coordinate with the system owners to check for available software updates from the vendor to remediate the vulnerability and reduce your risk.

References

Written by Nicholas Merritt

Nicholas Merritt is VP of Security Solutions at Halo Security. With more than 25 years across application security, vulnerability prioritization, and offensive security, he helps teams translate threat data into practical exposure validation and remediation focus. He authors Halo Threat Intelligence CVE advisories using Halo Surface Signal and H/A/L/O context to prioritize internet-facing risk.