CVE-2019-25534: PHP Car Dealer SQL Injection Vulnerability

CVE-2019-25534 Overview

Netartmedia PHP Car Dealer contains an SQL injection vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary SQL queries by injecting malicious code through the features[] parameter. Attackers can submit POST requests to index.php with crafted SQL payloads in the features[] parameter to extract sensitive database information or manipulate database queries.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated SQL injection enabling database compromise, data exfiltration, and potential full system takeover through malicious query execution.

Affected Products

• Netartmedia PHP Car Dealer

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-12 - CVE CVE-2019-25534 published to NVD
• 2026-03-12 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2019-25534

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command), commonly known as SQL Injection. The application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input in the features[] parameter before incorporating it into SQL queries.

The features[] parameter, which is designed to filter vehicle listings based on selected features, accepts array input through POST requests to index.php. Due to inadequate input validation and lack of parameterized queries, an attacker can inject arbitrary SQL syntax that gets executed directly against the backend database.

The network-accessible nature of this vulnerability combined with no authentication requirement makes it particularly dangerous. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data including customer information, administrative credentials, and complete database contents.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the direct concatenation of user-supplied input from the features[] parameter into SQL query strings without proper sanitization, escaping, or the use of prepared statements. The PHP application fails to implement fundamental SQL injection defenses, allowing malicious SQL code to be interpreted and executed by the database engine.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, requiring no authentication or user interaction. An attacker can craft malicious POST requests to the index.php endpoint with SQL injection payloads embedded in the features[] parameter. This allows for various attack techniques including UNION-based injection for data extraction, boolean-based blind injection for data enumeration, and time-based blind injection for confirmation of vulnerability existence.

The vulnerability can be exploited through standard HTTP POST requests, making it accessible through common web security testing tools and scripts. Technical details regarding exploitation techniques can be found in the Exploit-DB #46573 advisory and the VulnCheck SQL Injection Advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2019-25534

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual POST requests to index.php containing SQL syntax characters such as single quotes, double dashes, UNION statements, or SELECT keywords in the features[] parameter
• Database error messages appearing in web application logs or responses indicating SQL syntax errors
• Unexpected database queries in database audit logs, particularly those containing UNION SELECT or information_schema references
• Anomalous data access patterns indicating bulk data extraction from the database

Detection Strategies

• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with SQL injection detection rules monitoring POST parameters for malicious payloads
• Implement application-level logging to capture and alert on requests containing SQL metacharacters in the features[] parameter
• Enable database query logging and monitor for suspicious query patterns including UNION-based queries and access to system tables
• Utilize intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for common SQL injection attack patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure real-time alerting on web server access logs for requests to index.php with suspicious parameter values
• Monitor database server for unusual query execution times or error rates that may indicate injection attempts
• Implement network-level monitoring for HTTP POST traffic containing known SQL injection payloads
• Review application logs regularly for evidence of exploitation attempts or successful data extraction

How to Mitigate CVE-2019-25534

Immediate Actions Required

• Consider taking the affected PHP Car Dealer application offline until a proper fix can be implemented
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to filter malicious SQL injection payloads targeting the features[] parameter
• Review database logs for evidence of past exploitation and assess potential data breach scope
• Implement network-level access controls to restrict access to the application from trusted IP addresses only

Patch Information

No vendor patch information is currently available for this vulnerability. Organizations using Netartmedia PHP Car Dealer should contact the vendor for security updates or consider migrating to an actively maintained alternative. For technical details, refer to the Exploit-DB #46573 and VulnCheck SQL Injection Advisory.

Workarounds

• Implement input validation on the features[] parameter to accept only expected numeric values or predefined feature identifiers
• Modify the application code to use prepared statements with parameterized queries for all database interactions
• Deploy a reverse proxy with ModSecurity or similar WAF capabilities configured with OWASP Core Rule Set to block SQL injection attempts
• Apply the principle of least privilege to the database user account used by the application, limiting permissions to only necessary operations

# Example ModSecurity rule to block SQL injection in features parameter
SecRule ARGS:features[] "@detectSQLi" \
    "id:100001,\
    phase:2,\
    deny,\
    status:403,\
    log,\
    msg:'SQL Injection Attempt Detected in features parameter',\
    severity:CRITICAL"