CVE-2018-25424: Gate Pass Management System SQLi Flaw

CVE-2018-25424 Overview

CVE-2018-25424 is a SQL injection vulnerability in Gate Pass Management System 2.1. The flaw resides in the login-exec.php endpoint, which fails to sanitize the login and password POST parameters before incorporating them into SQL queries. Unauthenticated attackers can submit crafted payloads to bypass authentication and gain application access without valid credentials. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command). A public exploit is documented in Exploit-DB #45766.

Critical Impact
Remote, unauthenticated attackers can bypass authentication and access the Gate Pass Management System through SQL injection in the login form.

Affected Products

Gate Pass Management System version 2.1
login-exec.php authentication endpoint
LiveBMS GatePass distribution

Discovery Timeline

2026-05-30 - CVE-2018-25424 published to NVD
2026-06-01 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2018-25424

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability stems from unsanitized user input being concatenated directly into a SQL query within login-exec.php. When a user submits the login form, the login and password POST parameters are passed into a database query without parameterization or escaping. An attacker submits a crafted POST request containing SQL metacharacters in either field, altering the query logic. A typical payload uses a tautology such as ' OR '1'='1 to force the WHERE clause to evaluate true, returning a valid user row. The application then issues a session for the attacker without verifying credentials. Because no authentication is required to reach login-exec.php, the attack surface is exposed to any network-reachable client.

Root Cause

The root cause is the absence of prepared statements or input validation in the authentication handler. Developer-written queries embed the raw $_POST['login'] and $_POST['password'] values directly into SQL strings, violating secure coding practices defined in CWE-89.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based and requires no privileges or user interaction. An attacker sends a single HTTP POST request to login-exec.php with injection payloads in the form fields. The vulnerability mechanism is described in the VulnCheck SQL Injection Advisory and demonstrated in the Exploit-DB #45766 proof of concept.

Detection Methods for CVE-2018-25424

Indicators of Compromise

POST requests to login-exec.php containing SQL metacharacters such as single quotes, OR, UNION, --, or # in the login or password parameters.
Successful authentication events in application logs that lack a corresponding valid user lookup or originate from unrecognized source IP addresses.
Web server access logs showing repeated POST submissions to the login endpoint from a single source within short intervals.

Detection Strategies

Deploy web application firewall (WAF) rules that inspect POST bodies sent to login-exec.php for SQL injection signatures.
Enable database query logging and alert on authentication queries containing tautology patterns like '=' or OR 1=1.
Correlate failed-then-successful login sequences from the same source IP to identify injection probing followed by exploitation.

Monitoring Recommendations

Monitor HTTP traffic to the Gate Pass Management System for anomalous POST payloads and unusually long form values.
Forward web server, application, and database logs to a centralized SIEM for query-level inspection of authentication flows.
Track session creation events to detect logins that occur without a preceding password hash verification step.

How to Mitigate CVE-2018-25424

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict network access to the Gate Pass Management System using firewall rules or VPN until a fix is applied.
Disable or replace the vulnerable login-exec.php handler with a parameterized authentication routine.
Audit existing user accounts and active sessions for unauthorized access created through injection.

Patch Information

No vendor patch is referenced in the published advisories for Gate Pass Management System 2.1. Operators should review the LiveBMS Resource Site and the GatePass Update Download for any newer release that addresses the issue, or migrate to a maintained alternative.

Workarounds

Rewrite the query in login-exec.php to use parameterized statements with PDO or mysqli prepared statements.
Apply server-side input validation that rejects SQL metacharacters in login and password fields before they reach the database layer.
Place the application behind a WAF configured with OWASP Core Rule Set signatures for SQL injection.
Enforce least-privilege database accounts so that the application user cannot read or modify unrelated tables.

bash

# Example WAF rule (ModSecurity) blocking SQL injection on the login endpoint
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@streq /login-exec.php" \
  "phase:2,chain,deny,status:403,id:1000001,msg:'SQLi attempt on login-exec.php'"
  SecRule ARGS:login|ARGS:password "@detectSQLi" "t:none"