CVE-2018-25185: Wecodex Restaurant CMS SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2018-25185 Overview

CVE-2018-25185 is an SQL Injection vulnerability affecting Wecodex Restaurant CMS version 1.0. The vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to manipulate database queries by injecting malicious SQL code through the username parameter on the login endpoint. Attackers can exploit this flaw using boolean-based blind or time-based blind SQL injection techniques to extract sensitive database information, potentially compromising the entire application database.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can extract sensitive data from the database, including user credentials, customer information, and other confidential business data stored in the Restaurant CMS.

Affected Products

• Wecodex Restaurant CMS 1.0
• PHP and MySQL-based restaurant management system by WeCodex

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-26 - CVE CVE-2018-25185 published to NVD
• 2026-03-26 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2018-25185

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL Injection vulnerability (CWE-89) exists in the authentication mechanism of Wecodex Restaurant CMS. The login functionality fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before incorporating it into SQL queries. When a user submits credentials through the login form, the username parameter is directly concatenated into the SQL query without adequate input validation or parameterized query usage.

The vulnerability is accessible over the network without requiring any authentication or user interaction. Attackers can achieve high confidentiality impact by extracting sensitive database contents, and low integrity impact through potential data manipulation. The attack complexity is low, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous for publicly accessible installations.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper input validation and the use of dynamic SQL queries that directly incorporate user input. The application fails to implement prepared statements or parameterized queries when handling the username parameter in the login POST request. This allows attackers to break out of the intended query structure and inject arbitrary SQL commands.

Attack Vector

The attack vector involves sending specially crafted POST requests to the login endpoint with malicious SQL payloads embedded in the username parameter. Attackers can utilize two primary exploitation techniques:

1. Boolean-based blind SQL injection: The attacker injects conditional statements that cause the application to behave differently based on whether the injected condition evaluates to true or false, allowing data extraction one bit at a time.

2. Time-based blind SQL injection: The attacker injects SQL commands that cause deliberate time delays (using functions like SLEEP() in MySQL) when certain conditions are true, enabling inference of database contents through response timing analysis.

The vulnerability can be exploited with common SQL injection tools such as SQLMap, making automated exploitation straightforward. Technical details and proof-of-concept information are available in the Exploit-DB #44730 advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2018-25185

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual HTTP POST requests to the login endpoint containing SQL syntax characters such as single quotes ('), double quotes ("), semicolons (;), or SQL keywords (UNION, SELECT, SLEEP)
• Multiple failed login attempts with varying username values containing special characters
• Database error messages appearing in application logs or HTTP responses
• Unusually slow response times on login requests (indicating time-based injection attempts)

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in POST parameters
• Monitor application logs for SQL syntax errors or unusual query patterns
• Deploy intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for common SQL injection attack patterns
• Enable database query logging to identify anomalous or malformed queries originating from the web application

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure real-time alerting for SQL injection attempt patterns in web server access logs
• Monitor database server logs for queries containing injection-specific syntax
• Implement rate limiting on authentication endpoints to slow down automated exploitation attempts
• Set up baseline monitoring for login endpoint response times to detect time-based injection attacks

How to Mitigate CVE-2018-25185

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict public access to Wecodex Restaurant CMS installations until the vulnerability is addressed
• Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with SQL injection protection rules
• Review and audit database access logs for signs of previous exploitation
• Consider replacing the vulnerable login mechanism with a secure implementation using prepared statements

Patch Information

No vendor patch information is currently available for this vulnerability. Organizations using Wecodex Restaurant CMS 1.0 should contact WeCodex directly for remediation guidance or consider migrating to a more actively maintained content management solution. Additional technical details can be found in the VulnCheck Advisory.

Workarounds

• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) in front of the application to filter malicious SQL injection payloads
• Implement server-side input validation to restrict the username parameter to expected character patterns (alphanumeric only)
• If source code access is available, modify the login functionality to use parameterized queries or prepared statements
• Restrict network access to the CMS administrative interface using IP whitelisting or VPN requirements

# Example WAF rule for ModSecurity to block SQL injection in POST parameters
SecRule ARGS "@detectSQLi" \
    "id:1001,\
    phase:2,\
    deny,\
    status:403,\
    msg:'SQL Injection Attempt Detected',\
    log,\
    auditlog"