CVE-2019-25432: Part-DB Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2019-25432 Overview

Part-DB 0.4 contains an authentication bypass vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to login by injecting SQL syntax into authentication parameters. Attackers can submit a single quote followed by 'or' in the login form to bypass credential validation and gain unauthorized access to the application. This SQL Injection flaw (CWE-89) enables complete authentication bypass without requiring any prior credentials.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can bypass authentication controls and gain unauthorized access to Part-DB inventory management systems, potentially exposing sensitive component data and enabling further malicious activities.

Affected Products

• Part-DB version 0.4
• Part-DB installations with vulnerable login.php authentication handling
• Self-hosted Part-DB instances without input sanitization

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-20 - CVE CVE-2019-25432 published to NVD
• 2026-02-23 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2019-25432

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability represents a classic SQL Injection authentication bypass in the Part-DB inventory management application. The login functionality in version 0.4 fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before incorporating it into SQL queries used for credential validation. This allows attackers to manipulate the authentication logic by injecting malicious SQL syntax directly into login form fields.

The vulnerability is network-accessible with low attack complexity, requiring no privileges or user interaction to exploit. The impact primarily affects confidentiality, allowing attackers to access protected resources and data within the application. Additional details are available in the Exploit-DB #47547 entry and the VulnCheck Advisory on Part-DB.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper input validation in the authentication module. The login.php script directly concatenates user input into SQL queries without using parameterized queries or prepared statements. This allows SQL metacharacters such as single quotes and boolean operators to modify the intended query logic. When the application constructs its authentication query, attacker-controlled input alters the WHERE clause to always evaluate as true, bypassing password verification entirely.

Attack Vector

The attack is executed remotely over the network by submitting specially crafted input to the login form. An attacker provides SQL injection payloads such as a single quote followed by or conditions in the username or password fields. This modifies the authentication query's logic to return a valid user record regardless of the actual credentials provided.

For example, submitting ' or '1'='1 as input causes the SQL WHERE clause to evaluate to true, granting access without valid credentials. The attack requires no authentication and can be performed by any network attacker with access to the application's login page. Technical exploitation details can be found in the Exploit-DB #47547 advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2019-25432

Indicators of Compromise

• SQL injection patterns in authentication request logs, particularly single quotes followed by or, and, or boolean expressions
• Unusual successful login events without corresponding valid credential submissions
• Application error logs containing SQL syntax errors related to authentication queries
• Multiple rapid login attempts from the same source IP with varying injection payloads

Detection Strategies

• Deploy Web Application Firewalls (WAF) with SQL injection detection rules targeting authentication endpoints
• Implement application-layer logging to capture and analyze all login form submissions
• Configure intrusion detection systems (IDS) to alert on SQL injection signatures in HTTP POST data
• Enable database query logging to identify malformed or manipulated authentication queries

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor authentication logs for successful logins that lack corresponding credential validation trails
• Set up alerts for SQL error messages in application logs that indicate injection attempts
• Track login form submissions containing SQL metacharacters or boolean operators
• Review access patterns for anomalous behavior following authentication events

How to Mitigate CVE-2019-25432

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade Part-DB to the latest available version from the GitHub Part-DB Repository
• Implement network-level restrictions to limit access to the Part-DB login page to trusted IP ranges
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall with SQL injection protection rules in front of the application
• Conduct an immediate audit of authentication logs for signs of exploitation

Patch Information

Organizations using Part-DB 0.4 should upgrade to a patched version as soon as possible. Check the official GitHub Part-DB Repository for the latest release that addresses this SQL injection vulnerability. After upgrading, verify that the authentication mechanism uses parameterized queries or prepared statements to prevent SQL injection attacks.

Workarounds

• Restrict network access to the Part-DB application using firewall rules or VPN requirements
• Implement a reverse proxy with WAF capabilities to filter SQL injection attempts before they reach the application
• Place the application behind an authentication gateway that provides additional credential verification
• Disable the application entirely until a patched version can be deployed if other mitigations are not feasible

# Configuration example - Apache mod_security SQL injection rule
# Add to Apache configuration to block common SQL injection patterns
SecRule ARGS "@rx (?i:(?:'\s*(?:or|and)\s*['\"0-9])|(?:--[\s\r\n\v\f])|(?:;)|(?:\/\*)|(?:\*\/))" \
    "id:1001,phase:2,deny,status:403,msg:'SQL Injection Attempt Blocked',log"

# Restrict access to login.php by IP range
<Location /login.php>
    Require ip 10.0.0.0/8
    Require ip 192.168.0.0/16
</Location>