CVE-2018-25171: EdTv 2 SQL Injection Vulnerability

CVE-2018-25171 Overview

EdTv 2 contains an SQL injection vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary SQL queries by injecting malicious code through the id parameter. Attackers can send GET requests to the admin/edit_source endpoint with crafted SQL UNION statements to extract database information including schema names, user credentials, and version details.

Critical Impact

This SQL injection vulnerability enables unauthenticated remote attackers to extract sensitive database contents, potentially compromising user credentials and system configuration data without requiring any authentication.

Affected Products

• EdTv 2

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-06 - CVE CVE-2018-25171 published to NVD
• 2026-03-09 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2018-25171

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL injection vulnerability exists within the EdTv 2 application's admin/edit_source endpoint. The application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input passed through the id parameter before incorporating it into SQL queries. This lack of input validation allows attackers to inject malicious SQL statements that are executed directly against the backend database.

The vulnerability is particularly severe because it requires no authentication to exploit. An attacker can simply craft malicious GET requests containing SQL UNION statements to manipulate query results and extract arbitrary data from the database. Successful exploitation can lead to complete disclosure of database contents, including sensitive information such as user credentials, configuration data, and potentially personally identifiable information stored within the system.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper input validation and the lack of parameterized queries or prepared statements when handling the id parameter in the admin/edit_source endpoint. The application directly concatenates user input into SQL queries without proper sanitization, escaping, or validation, creating a classic SQL injection attack surface.

Attack Vector

This vulnerability is exploitable over the network without requiring any authentication or user interaction. An attacker crafts a malicious HTTP GET request to the vulnerable admin/edit_source endpoint, injecting SQL UNION-based payloads through the id parameter.

The attacker can use UNION-based SQL injection techniques to append additional SELECT statements to the original query, allowing them to retrieve data from other tables or extract database metadata. This includes extracting database schema information, table structures, and the contents of tables containing sensitive data such as usernames and password hashes.

For technical details on exploitation techniques, refer to the Exploit-DB #45849 and VulnCheck SQL Injection Advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2018-25171

Indicators of Compromise

• HTTP GET requests to /admin/edit_source containing SQL keywords such as UNION, SELECT, FROM, INFORMATION_SCHEMA, or CONCAT
• Unusual patterns in the id parameter including single quotes, double dashes (--), or encoded SQL syntax
• Database error messages appearing in HTTP responses indicating query manipulation
• Unexpected queries against INFORMATION_SCHEMA tables or attempts to access user credential tables

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in the id parameter
• Enable database query logging and monitor for anomalous queries originating from the web application
• Deploy intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for common SQL injection attack patterns
• Monitor application logs for repeated requests to the admin/edit_source endpoint with varying id values

Monitoring Recommendations

• Continuously monitor HTTP access logs for requests containing SQL injection payloads targeting the vulnerable endpoint
• Set up alerts for database queries that attempt to access sensitive tables or system metadata
• Implement anomaly detection on query patterns to identify unusual data extraction attempts
• Review authentication logs for any signs of credential abuse following potential exploitation

How to Mitigate CVE-2018-25171

Immediate Actions Required

• Block access to the admin/edit_source endpoint at the network or WAF level until a patch is applied
• Implement input validation to whitelist only numeric values for the id parameter
• Deploy WAF rules specifically targeting SQL injection attempts against EdTv 2 endpoints
• Review database logs for signs of prior exploitation and rotate any potentially compromised credentials

Patch Information

No vendor patch information is currently available in the CVE data. Organizations should consult the VulnCheck SQL Injection Advisory and monitor for vendor updates. Consider migrating to alternative solutions if the software is no longer maintained.

Workarounds

• Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to filter malicious SQL injection attempts targeting the vulnerable parameter
• Restrict network access to the admin interface to trusted IP addresses only
• Implement application-level input validation to ensure the id parameter contains only expected numeric values
• Consider disabling or removing the vulnerable endpoint if not required for business operations

# Example WAF rule to block SQL injection attempts (ModSecurity format)
SecRule ARGS:id "@detectSQLi" \
    "id:100001,\
    phase:2,\
    block,\
    msg:'SQL Injection attempt detected in id parameter',\
    logdata:'Matched Data: %{MATCHED_VAR}',\
    severity:'CRITICAL'"