CVE-2019-25505: Tradebox 5.4 SQL Injection Vulnerability

CVE-2019-25505 Overview

CVE-2019-25505 is an SQL Injection vulnerability affecting Tradebox version 5.4. The vulnerability allows authenticated attackers to manipulate database queries by injecting SQL code through the symbol parameter. Attackers can send POST requests to the monthly_deposit endpoint with malicious symbol values using boolean-based blind, time-based blind, error-based, or union-based SQL injection techniques to extract sensitive database information.

Critical Impact

Authenticated attackers can exploit this SQL injection flaw to extract sensitive database contents, potentially compromising confidential financial and user data stored within the Tradebox application.

Affected Products

• Tradebox 5.4

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-04 - CVE-2019-25505 published to NVD
• 2026-03-05 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2019-25505

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command), commonly known as SQL Injection. The flaw exists in the monthly_deposit endpoint of Tradebox 5.4, where user-supplied input via the symbol parameter is incorporated into SQL queries without proper sanitization or parameterized query usage.

The vulnerability requires authentication to exploit, meaning an attacker must first have valid credentials to access the vulnerable endpoint. However, once authenticated, the attacker has significant access to manipulate backend database operations. The attack can be executed remotely over the network with low complexity, requiring no user interaction beyond the initial authentication.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the failure to properly sanitize or parameterize user input before incorporating it into SQL queries. The symbol parameter in the monthly_deposit endpoint directly concatenates user-supplied data into SQL statements, allowing attackers to break out of the intended query context and inject arbitrary SQL commands.

This is a classic case of insufficient input validation where the application trusts user input without verification, enabling malicious SQL syntax to be executed by the database engine.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-based and targets the monthly_deposit endpoint via POST requests. An authenticated attacker can craft malicious payloads in the symbol parameter using multiple SQL injection techniques:

• Boolean-based blind injection: Attackers can infer database contents by observing application behavior differences based on true/false conditions
• Time-based blind injection: Attackers can extract data by introducing conditional time delays in database responses
• Error-based injection: Database error messages can be leveraged to extract information about the database structure
• Union-based injection: Attackers can append additional SELECT statements to retrieve data from other tables

For technical details and proof-of-concept information, refer to the Exploit-DB #46671 and the VulnCheck Advisory on Tradebox SQL Injection.

Detection Methods for CVE-2019-25505

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual POST requests to the monthly_deposit endpoint containing SQL syntax characters such as single quotes, semicolons, or SQL keywords in the symbol parameter
• Database error messages appearing in application logs or HTTP responses
• Abnormal database query patterns or increased query execution times indicating time-based injection attempts
• Unexpected data access patterns or bulk data retrieval from database logs

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in the symbol parameter
• Deploy database activity monitoring to identify suspicious query patterns or unauthorized data access
• Configure application logging to capture all requests to the monthly_deposit endpoint for forensic analysis
• Use intrusion detection systems (IDS) with SQL injection signature detection capabilities

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor HTTP POST requests to /monthly_deposit for SQL injection indicators such as UNION SELECT, OR 1=1, WAITFOR DELAY, or BENCHMARK() patterns
• Track database query execution times for anomalies that may indicate time-based blind injection attempts
• Review authentication logs for accounts making repeated requests to the vulnerable endpoint
• Implement real-time alerting for database errors related to malformed SQL syntax

How to Mitigate CVE-2019-25505

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict access to the Tradebox application to trusted users and networks until patching is complete
• Implement input validation on the symbol parameter at the application layer
• Deploy WAF rules specifically targeting SQL injection attempts against the monthly_deposit endpoint
• Review database permissions to ensure the application uses least-privilege database accounts

Patch Information

Consult the VulnCheck Advisory on Tradebox SQL Injection for the latest remediation guidance and patch availability from the vendor. Upgrade to a patched version of Tradebox when available.

Workarounds

• Implement parameterized queries or prepared statements for all database interactions involving user input
• Apply strict input validation to reject SQL metacharacters and keywords in the symbol parameter
• Use a Web Application Firewall configured with SQL injection protection rules
• Limit database user privileges to prevent modification or extraction of sensitive data even if injection succeeds
• Consider implementing additional authentication factors for access to financial endpoints

# Example WAF rule for ModSecurity to block SQL injection in symbol parameter
SecRule ARGS:symbol "@detectSQLi" \
    "id:1001,\
    phase:2,\
    deny,\
    status:403,\
    log,\
    msg:'SQL Injection attempt detected in symbol parameter',\
    tag:'CVE-2019-25505'"