CVE-2018-25199: PHP OOP CMS Blog SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2018-25199 Overview

CVE-2018-25199 is a SQL Injection vulnerability affecting OOP CMS BLOG version 1.0, a PHP-based content management system developed by tomalofficial. The vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary SQL queries by injecting malicious code through multiple user-controllable parameters across several PHP files within the application.

Attackers can exploit this vulnerability through the search parameter in search.php, the pageid parameter in page.php, and the id parameter in posts.php. Successful exploitation enables attackers to extract sensitive database information including table names, schema structures, and database credentials, potentially leading to complete database compromise.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated SQL injection across multiple entry points allows attackers to extract sensitive database contents including credentials, potentially leading to full database compromise and unauthorized access to backend systems.

Affected Products

• tomalofficial php_oop_cms_blog version 1.0
• Tomalofficial Php Oop Cms Blog (cpe:2.3:a:tomalofficial:php_oop_cms_blog:1.0:::::::*)

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-06 - CVE-2018-25199 published to NVD
• 2026-03-11 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2018-25199

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL Injection vulnerability (CWE-89) stems from improper neutralization of special elements used in SQL commands within multiple PHP scripts of the OOP CMS BLOG application. The application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before incorporating it into SQL queries, creating multiple injection points that can be exploited without authentication.

The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it affects three separate endpoints within the application, each accepting different parameters that are directly incorporated into database queries. This multi-vector attack surface increases the likelihood of successful exploitation and makes comprehensive mitigation more challenging.

The network-accessible nature of the vulnerability means attackers can exploit it remotely through standard HTTP requests, requiring no user interaction or special privileges. This significantly lowers the barrier for exploitation and increases the potential impact on vulnerable installations.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the absence of input validation and parameterized queries in the PHP code handling user input. The application directly concatenates user-supplied values from HTTP parameters (search, pageid, and id) into SQL query strings without proper sanitization or the use of prepared statements.

This failure to implement secure coding practices for database interactions allows attackers to break out of the intended query structure and inject their own SQL commands. The lack of input validation across multiple files suggests a systemic coding practice issue rather than an isolated oversight.

Attack Vector

The vulnerability is exploitable over the network via HTTP requests to the affected PHP endpoints. An attacker can craft malicious requests containing SQL injection payloads targeting any of the three vulnerable parameters:

1. search.php - The search parameter accepts arbitrary input intended for search functionality but can be manipulated to inject SQL commands
2. page.php - The pageid parameter, typically expected to be an integer page identifier, lacks type validation and accepts SQL injection payloads
3. posts.php - The id parameter similarly lacks proper validation and can be used to inject malicious SQL statements

Exploitation typically involves using UNION-based injection, error-based injection, or blind SQL injection techniques to enumerate database structure and extract sensitive data. Attackers can leverage tools like sqlmap to automate the exploitation process and efficiently dump database contents.

The vulnerability requires no authentication, meaning any remote attacker with network access to the application can attempt exploitation. Technical details and proof-of-concept information are available in the Exploit-DB #45799 entry and the VulnCheck SQL Injection Advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2018-25199

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual SQL syntax patterns in web server logs for requests to search.php, page.php, or posts.php
• HTTP requests containing SQL keywords such as UNION, SELECT, FROM, information_schema, or comment sequences (--, #, /*)
• Database query logs showing unexpected queries targeting system tables or unauthorized data extraction
• Error messages in application logs indicating SQL syntax errors from malformed injection attempts

Detection Strategies

• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in the search, pageid, and id parameters
• Monitor web server access logs for suspicious request patterns targeting the vulnerable endpoints with encoded or obfuscated SQL payloads
• Implement database query logging and alerting for queries accessing information_schema or attempting to enumerate table structures
• Use intrusion detection systems (IDS) with SQL injection signature rules to identify exploitation attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging on the web server to capture full request parameters for the vulnerable PHP files
• Configure database audit logging to track all queries executed by the web application user account
• Set up real-time alerting for detection of SQL injection patterns or anomalous database query behavior
• Periodically review web application logs for reconnaissance activity targeting the vulnerable endpoints

How to Mitigate CVE-2018-25199

Immediate Actions Required

• Take the affected OOP CMS BLOG installation offline if it is exposed to untrusted networks until remediation is complete
• Implement WAF rules to block requests containing SQL injection patterns to search.php, page.php, and posts.php
• Restrict network access to the application to only trusted IP addresses or internal networks
• Review database logs for signs of prior exploitation and assess potential data exposure

Patch Information

No official vendor patch has been released for this vulnerability. The OOP CMS BLOG project on GitHub does not appear to have published a security update addressing these SQL injection issues. Organizations using this software should consider migrating to a more actively maintained CMS platform or implementing the code-level fixes outlined in the workarounds section.

For technical details regarding the vulnerability, refer to Exploit-DB #45799 and the VulnCheck SQL Injection Advisory.

Workarounds

• Modify the vulnerable PHP files to use prepared statements with parameterized queries instead of string concatenation for all database operations
• Implement strict input validation for the search, pageid, and id parameters, rejecting any non-alphanumeric characters for numeric fields and escaping special characters for text fields
• Deploy a reverse proxy or WAF with SQL injection filtering capabilities in front of the application
• Consider replacing OOP CMS BLOG with a more secure, actively maintained content management system

# WAF rule example for ModSecurity to block SQL injection attempts
# Add to ModSecurity configuration
SecRule ARGS:search|ARGS:pageid|ARGS:id "@detectSQLi" \
    "id:1001,\
    phase:2,\
    block,\
    msg:'SQL Injection Attempt Detected - CVE-2018-25199',\
    logdata:'Matched Data: %{MATCHED_VAR}',\
    severity:'CRITICAL'"