CVE-2018-25172: Pedidos 1.0 SQL Injection Vulnerability

CVE-2018-25172 Overview

Pedidos 1.0 contains an SQL injection vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary SQL queries by injecting malicious code through the q parameter. Attackers can send GET requests to the ajax/load_proveedores.php endpoint with crafted SQL payloads to extract sensitive database information including schema names and table structures.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can exploit this SQL injection vulnerability to extract sensitive database contents, modify data, or potentially compromise the underlying database server without any authentication requirements.

Affected Products

• Pedidos version 1.0

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-06 - CVE CVE-2018-25172 published to NVD
• 2026-03-09 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2018-25172

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-89 (SQL Injection), a critical web application security flaw where user-supplied input is incorporated into SQL queries without proper sanitization or parameterization. The vulnerable endpoint ajax/load_proveedores.php accepts a q parameter that is directly concatenated into SQL statements, allowing attackers to manipulate query logic.

The network-accessible nature of this vulnerability makes it particularly dangerous, as exploitation requires no authentication and can be performed remotely. An attacker can leverage this flaw to bypass application logic, extract confidential data from the database, enumerate table structures, and potentially escalate to further system compromise depending on database permissions and configuration.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper input validation and the failure to use parameterized queries or prepared statements when processing the q parameter in the ajax/load_proveedores.php file. User-supplied input is directly embedded into SQL query strings without sanitization, escaping, or type validation, enabling attackers to inject arbitrary SQL syntax.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, requiring no authentication or user interaction. An attacker crafts a malicious HTTP GET request to the ajax/load_proveedores.php endpoint with specially crafted SQL syntax injected into the q parameter. This allows extraction of database schema information, table names, column data, and potentially administrative credentials stored in the database.

The exploitation technique typically involves UNION-based or error-based SQL injection to exfiltrate data. Attackers can enumerate database structure, extract sensitive records, and potentially leverage database functionality such as LOAD_FILE() or INTO OUTFILE for more advanced attacks depending on the database configuration and privileges.

For technical details and proof-of-concept information, see the Exploit-DB #45856 advisory and the VulnCheck SQL Injection Advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2018-25172

Indicators of Compromise

• HTTP GET requests to ajax/load_proveedores.php containing SQL keywords such as UNION, SELECT, FROM, WHERE, or comment sequences (--, #, /*)
• Requests with encoded SQL injection payloads in the q parameter (URL-encoded special characters like %27, %22, %3D)
• Unusual database query patterns or errors in application logs indicating malformed SQL syntax
• Evidence of data exfiltration through abnormally large responses from the affected endpoint

Detection Strategies

• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in the q parameter
• Implement intrusion detection signatures targeting common SQL injection payloads directed at PHP endpoints
• Monitor web server access logs for requests to ajax/load_proveedores.php with suspicious query string patterns
• Enable database query logging to identify anomalous or malformed SQL statements originating from the web application

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure real-time alerting for any requests matching SQL injection patterns to the vulnerable endpoint
• Monitor database error logs for syntax errors that may indicate active exploitation attempts
• Implement rate limiting on the ajax/load_proveedores.php endpoint to slow automated exploitation tools
• Review web application logs regularly for reconnaissance activity targeting supplier-related functionality

How to Mitigate CVE-2018-25172

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict access to the ajax/load_proveedores.php endpoint using authentication controls or IP-based access restrictions
• Deploy WAF rules to filter SQL injection payloads targeting the vulnerable parameter
• Consider disabling or removing the vulnerable endpoint if not critical to business operations
• Implement input validation to whitelist acceptable characters in the q parameter as a temporary measure

Patch Information

No official vendor patch information is currently available for Pedidos 1.0. Organizations should monitor the VulnCheck SQL Injection Advisory for updates. If the application is no longer maintained, consider migrating to an alternative solution that receives active security support.

Workarounds

• Modify the ajax/load_proveedores.php source code to implement parameterized queries or prepared statements for all database interactions
• Add server-side input validation to sanitize and escape the q parameter before any database operations
• Restrict database user privileges for the application to minimum required permissions, preventing access to sensitive schema information
• Place the application behind a reverse proxy with SQL injection filtering capabilities

# Example Apache configuration to restrict access to vulnerable endpoint
<Location "/ajax/load_proveedores.php">
    Order Deny,Allow
    Deny from all
    Allow from 192.168.1.0/24
    # Only allow access from trusted internal network
</Location>