CVE-2018-25207 Overview
CVE-2018-25207 is a SQL Injection vulnerability affecting Online Quiz Maker 1.0. The application contains SQL injection vulnerabilities in the catid and usern parameters that allow authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands. Attackers can submit malicious POST requests to quiz-system.php or add-category.php with crafted SQL payloads in POST parameters to extract sensitive database information or bypass authentication.
Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers can exploit SQL injection flaws to extract sensitive database contents, modify data, or potentially bypass authentication mechanisms entirely.
Affected Products
- Online Quiz Maker 1.0
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-03-26 - CVE CVE-2018-25207 published to NVD
- 2026-03-26 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2018-25207
Vulnerability Analysis
This SQL Injection vulnerability (CWE-89) affects Online Quiz Maker version 1.0, a PHP-based web application for creating and managing online quizzes. The core issue stems from improper sanitization of user-supplied input in POST parameters before incorporating them into SQL queries.
The vulnerable endpoints include quiz-system.php and add-category.php, where the catid and usern parameters are directly concatenated into database queries without adequate validation or parameterization. This allows authenticated users to inject malicious SQL syntax that the database engine will interpret and execute.
Upon successful exploitation, an attacker can extract sensitive information from the database, including user credentials, quiz answers, and potentially other stored data. In certain configurations, this could also enable authentication bypass or database manipulation.
Root Cause
The root cause of CVE-2018-25207 is the failure to implement proper input validation and parameterized queries (prepared statements) when handling user-supplied POST data. The catid and usern parameters are directly incorporated into SQL query strings without sanitization, escaping, or the use of parameterized statements. This classic SQL injection pattern allows attackers to break out of the intended query context and inject arbitrary SQL commands.
Attack Vector
The attack is network-based and requires low privileges (authenticated access) to exploit. An attacker with valid credentials can craft malicious POST requests targeting the vulnerable endpoints. The attack requires no user interaction and can be executed remotely.
The exploitation flow involves:
- An authenticated attacker identifies the vulnerable parameters (catid or usern)
- The attacker crafts a POST request containing SQL injection payloads
- The malicious request is sent to quiz-system.php or add-category.php
- The backend database executes the injected SQL commands
- Sensitive data is returned to the attacker or database modifications occur
Technical details regarding exploitation techniques can be found in the Exploit-DB #45323 reference and the VulnCheck SQL Injection Advisory.
Detection Methods for CVE-2018-25207
Indicators of Compromise
- Unusual POST requests to quiz-system.php or add-category.php containing SQL syntax characters such as single quotes, double dashes, or UNION statements
- Database error messages appearing in application logs or responses that indicate malformed queries
- Unexpected database queries or data extraction patterns in database audit logs
- Authentication anomalies or privilege escalation events following requests to vulnerable endpoints
Detection Strategies
- Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in POST parameters
- Monitor application logs for error messages containing SQL syntax errors or database exception details
- Deploy database activity monitoring to identify unusual query patterns, particularly UNION-based data extraction
- Review access logs for repeated POST requests to quiz-system.php and add-category.php with unusual parameter values
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable detailed logging for POST requests to vulnerable PHP endpoints
- Configure alerting for database queries containing suspicious keywords like UNION, SELECT, DROP, or comment sequences
- Implement rate limiting on authentication-related endpoints to slow brute-force and injection attempts
- Deploy SentinelOne Singularity to detect and respond to exploitation attempts across the application stack
How to Mitigate CVE-2018-25207
Immediate Actions Required
- Restrict access to the Online Quiz Maker application to trusted users and networks only
- Implement a Web Application Firewall with SQL injection protection rules
- Audit existing database content for signs of unauthorized access or data exfiltration
- Consider taking the application offline until proper remediation can be applied
Patch Information
No official vendor patch has been identified for this vulnerability. The application is available from Hscripts PHP Quiz Maker. Organizations using this software should contact the vendor directly or consider migrating to a maintained alternative.
For technical details, refer to the VulnCheck SQL Injection Advisory and Exploit-DB #45323.
Workarounds
- Implement input validation using whitelist approaches for the catid and usern parameters
- Modify the application code to use prepared statements (parameterized queries) for all database operations
- Deploy a reverse proxy or WAF with SQL injection detection capabilities in front of the application
- Restrict database user privileges to the minimum required for application functionality
# Example: Restrict access to vulnerable endpoints via .htaccess
<Files "quiz-system.php">
Order deny,allow
Deny from all
Allow from 192.168.1.0/24
</Files>
<Files "add-category.php">
Order deny,allow
Deny from all
Allow from 192.168.1.0/24
</Files>
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
