CVE-2019-25438: Agilebio Labcollector SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2019-25438 Overview

LabCollector 5.423 contains multiple SQL injection vulnerabilities that allow unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands by injecting malicious code through POST parameters. Attackers can submit crafted SQL payloads in the login parameter of login.php or the user_name parameter of retrieve_password.php to extract sensitive database information without authentication.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can exploit SQL injection vulnerabilities to extract sensitive database contents, bypass authentication, and potentially compromise the entire LabCollector database server.

Affected Products

• AgileBio LabCollector version 5.423
• LabCollector web application (login.php endpoint)
• LabCollector web application (retrieve_password.php endpoint)

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-20 - CVE CVE-2019-25438 published to NVD
• 2026-02-26 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2019-25438

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-89 (SQL Injection), a critical web application security flaw where user-supplied input is not properly sanitized before being incorporated into SQL queries. The vulnerability affects the authentication and password recovery mechanisms of LabCollector, making it particularly dangerous since these endpoints are inherently accessible to unauthenticated users.

The SQL injection flaws exist in two critical endpoints: the main login page (login.php) and the password recovery page (retrieve_password.php). Both endpoints fail to properly validate and sanitize user input before constructing SQL queries, allowing attackers to inject arbitrary SQL commands that will be executed by the database server with the application's privileges.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the lack of proper input validation and parameterized query usage in the LabCollector application. The login parameter in login.php and the user_name parameter in retrieve_password.php are directly concatenated into SQL query strings without sanitization, escaping, or the use of prepared statements.

This allows attackers to break out of the intended query structure and execute arbitrary SQL commands. The vulnerability is exacerbated by the fact that these vulnerable parameters exist in pre-authentication endpoints, eliminating any access control barriers for exploitation.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based and requires no authentication or user interaction. An attacker can craft malicious HTTP POST requests containing SQL injection payloads in the vulnerable parameters. By manipulating the login field in authentication requests or the user_name field in password recovery requests, attackers can:

1. Extract sensitive data from the database including usernames, password hashes, and research data
2. Bypass authentication mechanisms entirely
3. Modify or delete database records
4. Potentially achieve remote code execution depending on database configuration and privileges

The attack can be performed remotely over the network using standard HTTP requests, making it accessible to any attacker who can reach the LabCollector web interface. Detailed exploitation information is available in the Exploit-DB #47460 advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2019-25438

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual or malformed POST requests to login.php or retrieve_password.php containing SQL syntax characters such as single quotes, semicolons, or SQL keywords (UNION, SELECT, OR, AND)
• Database error messages in application logs indicating syntax errors or unexpected query behavior
• Abnormal database query patterns or slow queries that may indicate data exfiltration attempts
• Authentication logs showing successful logins without corresponding valid credentials

Detection Strategies

• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with SQL injection detection rules to monitor and block malicious requests targeting login.php and retrieve_password.php
• Implement database activity monitoring to detect unusual query patterns, particularly SELECT statements accessing sensitive tables or unusual WHERE clause conditions
• Enable detailed HTTP request logging to capture POST body content for forensic analysis of potential exploitation attempts
• Configure intrusion detection systems (IDS) to alert on SQL injection signatures in HTTP traffic destined for LabCollector endpoints

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor web server access logs for repeated requests to authentication endpoints with varying payloads, which may indicate automated SQL injection testing
• Set up alerting for database errors that reference syntax issues or unauthorized table access attempts
• Review authentication logs for anomalies such as successful logins from unexpected IP addresses or at unusual times
• Implement network monitoring to detect large data transfers from the database server that could indicate data exfiltration

How to Mitigate CVE-2019-25438

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict network access to the LabCollector application to trusted IP ranges or implement VPN requirements to limit exposure
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) in front of the LabCollector instance with strict SQL injection protection rules enabled
• Review database logs and web server logs for signs of prior exploitation and assess potential data compromise
• Consider taking the LabCollector instance offline until a patch can be applied or adequate compensating controls are in place

Patch Information

Organizations running LabCollector version 5.423 should contact AgileBio for information regarding security patches or updated versions that address this SQL injection vulnerability. The LabCollector Home Page provides vendor contact information and product updates. Additionally, the VulnCheck Advisory provides further technical details about this vulnerability.

Workarounds

• Implement a reverse proxy or WAF with SQL injection filtering rules to sanitize input to vulnerable endpoints before it reaches the application
• Restrict access to the LabCollector application using network-level controls such as firewall rules, VPN requirements, or IP whitelisting
• If possible, disable the password recovery functionality (retrieve_password.php) until a patch is available to reduce the attack surface
• Monitor and rate-limit requests to login.php and retrieve_password.php to slow down automated exploitation attempts

# Example: Apache mod_security rule to block SQL injection attempts
# Add to your ModSecurity configuration
SecRule ARGS "@detectSQLi" \
    "id:1001,\
    phase:2,\
    block,\
    msg:'SQL Injection Attack Detected',\
    logdata:'Matched Data: %{MATCHED_VAR}',\
    severity:'CRITICAL'"