CVE-2019-25366: microASP Portal+ CMS SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2019-25366 Overview

CVE-2019-25366 is an SQL injection vulnerability in microASP Portal+ CMS that allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary SQL queries by injecting malicious code into the explode_tree parameter. Attackers can send crafted requests to pagina.phtml with SQL injection payloads using extractvalue and concat functions to extract sensitive database information like the current database name.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can extract sensitive database information, potentially compromising the entire database and all stored data including user credentials and confidential records.

Affected Products

• microASP Portal+ CMS

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-22 - CVE CVE-2019-25366 published to NVD
• 2026-02-23 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2019-25366

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL injection vulnerability (CWE-89) exists in the pagina.phtml endpoint of microASP Portal+ CMS. The application fails to properly sanitize user input passed through the explode_tree parameter before incorporating it into SQL queries. This allows attackers to manipulate the query structure and execute arbitrary database commands.

The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it requires no authentication, meaning any remote attacker with network access to the vulnerable CMS can exploit it. The attack leverages XML-based SQL functions like extractvalue() combined with concat() to extract database information through error-based injection techniques. This allows attackers to enumerate database structures, extract sensitive data, and potentially escalate to more severe attacks.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper input validation and lack of parameterized queries in the pagina.phtml script. The explode_tree parameter is directly concatenated into SQL statements without proper sanitization or escaping, allowing attackers to break out of the intended query context and inject malicious SQL commands.

Attack Vector

The attack is conducted over the network and requires no authentication or user interaction. Attackers craft malicious HTTP requests to the pagina.phtml endpoint with specially crafted values in the explode_tree parameter. Using error-based SQL injection techniques with functions such as extractvalue() and concat(), attackers can extract database metadata and sensitive information through the error messages returned by the application.

The vulnerability documentation references exploitation techniques using error-based extraction methods commonly employed against MySQL databases. Additional technical details are available in the Exploit-DB #46799 entry and the VulnCheck SQL Injection Advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2019-25366

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual HTTP requests to pagina.phtml containing SQL keywords such as extractvalue, concat, SELECT, or UNION
• Error messages in web server logs containing SQL syntax errors or database information disclosure
• Database query logs showing unexpected queries against system tables or information_schema
• High volume of requests to pagina.phtml with varying explode_tree parameter values from a single source

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect SQL injection patterns in the explode_tree parameter
• Monitor web server access logs for requests containing SQL injection signatures targeting pagina.phtml
• Deploy database activity monitoring to detect unauthorized queries or data extraction attempts
• Use intrusion detection systems with signatures for common SQL injection techniques including error-based extraction

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging on the web server and database to capture request parameters and query execution
• Set up alerts for SQL error messages appearing in application responses
• Monitor for unusual database queries accessing sensitive tables or metadata
• Implement rate limiting on the pagina.phtml endpoint to slow down automated exploitation attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2019-25366

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict network access to the vulnerable CMS instance using firewall rules
• Implement input validation and parameterized queries for the explode_tree parameter
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with SQL injection protection enabled
• Review database permissions to limit the CMS application's access to only necessary tables and operations

Patch Information

No official vendor patch information is currently available. Organizations should contact microASP directly through their official website for security updates and patch availability. In the absence of an official patch, implement the workarounds and mitigations described below.

Workarounds

• Use input validation middleware to sanitize all user-supplied parameters before processing
• Deploy a WAF configured with strict SQL injection detection rules for the affected endpoint
• Restrict access to the pagina.phtml endpoint to trusted IP addresses only
• Consider taking the affected CMS offline until a permanent fix can be implemented

# Example WAF rule configuration for Apache ModSecurity
SecRule ARGS:explode_tree "@detectSQLi" \
    "id:1001,phase:2,deny,status:403,msg:'SQL Injection attempt detected in explode_tree parameter'"