CVE-2018-25188: Webiness Inventory SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2018-25188 Overview

CVE-2018-25188 is an SQL injection vulnerability affecting Webiness Inventory version 2.3. This vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary SQL queries by injecting malicious code through the order parameter. Attackers can send POST requests to the WsModelGrid.php endpoint with crafted SQL payloads to extract sensitive database information including usernames, databases, and version details.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can extract sensitive database information and potentially compromise the entire database through SQL injection attacks targeting the order parameter in WsModelGrid.php.

Affected Products

• Webiness Inventory 2.3

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-06 - CVE CVE-2018-25188 published to NVD
• 2026-03-09 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2018-25188

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL injection vulnerability (CWE-89) exists in the Webiness Inventory 2.3 application's WsModelGrid.php endpoint. The vulnerability allows attackers to manipulate database queries through the order parameter without requiring any authentication. The attack can be executed remotely over the network with low complexity, requiring no user interaction.

The vulnerability enables attackers to extract highly confidential data from the backend database, including usernames, database names, and version information. While the primary impact is data exfiltration, attackers may also be able to modify data in certain scenarios depending on database permissions and configuration.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper input validation and sanitization of user-supplied data in the order parameter. The application fails to properly sanitize or parameterize SQL queries, allowing malicious SQL code to be injected and executed directly against the database. This is a classic example of CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command.

Attack Vector

The attack is executed remotely over the network by sending specially crafted POST requests to the WsModelGrid.php endpoint. Attackers inject malicious SQL statements through the order parameter, which is processed by the application without proper validation. The injected SQL commands are then executed against the backend database, allowing attackers to enumerate database structure, extract sensitive data, and potentially manipulate database contents.

The vulnerability does not require authentication, meaning any attacker with network access to the application can exploit it. Technical details and proof-of-concept information can be found in the Exploit-DB #45843 entry and the VulnCheck Advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2018-25188

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual POST requests to WsModelGrid.php with suspicious order parameter values
• Database query logs showing SQL injection patterns such as UNION SELECT, ORDER BY, or -- comment markers
• Unexpected database queries attempting to access system tables or enumerate database structure
• Access logs showing repeated requests to WsModelGrid.php from the same source IP

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in the order parameter
• Monitor application logs for anomalous POST requests to WsModelGrid.php
• Configure database audit logging to detect unauthorized data access attempts
• Deploy intrusion detection systems (IDS) with SQL injection signature rules

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for all requests to the WsModelGrid.php endpoint
• Set up alerts for database queries containing SQL injection indicators
• Monitor for unusual data exfiltration patterns from the database server
• Implement real-time alerting for requests containing common SQL injection payloads

How to Mitigate CVE-2018-25188

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict network access to the Webiness Inventory application to trusted IP addresses only
• Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to filter malicious requests
• Review database permissions and limit the application's database user privileges to minimum required access
• Consider taking the affected application offline until a patch is available

Patch Information

No official vendor patch information is currently available for this vulnerability. Organizations should monitor for updates from the vendor and apply security patches as soon as they become available. In the meantime, implement the workarounds and mitigation measures described below.

Workarounds

• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) configured to block SQL injection attempts
• Implement input validation at the application layer to sanitize the order parameter
• Use parameterized queries or prepared statements if modifying the source code is possible
• Restrict database user permissions to read-only access where feasible

# Example WAF rule for ModSecurity to block SQL injection in order parameter
SecRule ARGS:order "@detectSQLi" \
    "id:1001,\
    phase:2,\
    deny,\
    status:403,\
    msg:'SQL Injection attempt detected in order parameter',\
    log,\
    auditlog"