CVE-2019-25536: PHP Real Estate Agency SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2019-25536 Overview

Netartmedia PHP Real Estate Agency 4.0 contains an SQL injection vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary SQL queries by injecting malicious code through the features[] parameter. Attackers can send 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 attackers can exploit this SQL injection vulnerability to extract sensitive data from the database, potentially including user credentials, personal information, and administrative access, or modify database contents without authentication.

Affected Products

• Netartmedia PHP Real Estate Agency version 4.0

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-12 - CVE-2019-25536 published to NVD
• 2026-03-12 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2019-25536

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-89 (SQL Injection), representing a critical weakness in input validation within the PHP Real Estate Agency application. The vulnerability exists in how the application processes the features[] parameter submitted via POST requests to index.php. When user-supplied input is incorporated into SQL queries without proper sanitization or parameterized queries, attackers can inject malicious SQL statements that execute with the privileges of the database user.

The network-accessible nature of this vulnerability means that any attacker who can reach the web application can attempt exploitation without requiring any prior authentication. This significantly increases the risk exposure for affected deployments.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper input validation and the absence of parameterized queries or prepared statements when handling the features[] parameter. The application directly concatenates user-supplied input into SQL queries, creating an injection point that allows attackers to break out of the intended query context and execute arbitrary SQL commands.

Attack Vector

The attack is executed over the network by sending specially crafted POST requests to the index.php endpoint. The attacker manipulates the features[] parameter by injecting SQL syntax that alters the logic of the underlying database query. This can be used to perform various malicious actions including:

• Extracting sensitive data through UNION-based or blind SQL injection techniques
• Bypassing authentication mechanisms
• Modifying or deleting database records
• Potentially executing administrative database operations depending on database permissions

Technical details and proof-of-concept information are available in the Exploit-DB #46574 entry and the VulnCheck Advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2019-25536

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual POST requests to index.php containing SQL keywords or special characters in the features[] parameter
• Database error messages in application logs indicating malformed SQL queries
• Anomalous database query patterns showing UNION, SELECT, or comment syntax in unexpected contexts
• Evidence of data exfiltration or unauthorized database modifications

Detection Strategies

• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in POST request parameters
• Enable database query logging and monitor for suspicious query structures containing injection signatures
• Implement application-level logging for all requests to index.php and analyze for anomalous features[] values
• Use intrusion detection systems (IDS) with SQL injection detection signatures

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor web server access logs for repeated POST requests to index.php with unusual payload sizes or patterns
• Set up alerts for database errors that may indicate failed injection attempts
• Track database user activity for unexpected data access patterns or privilege escalation attempts
• Regularly audit database tables for unauthorized modifications or data extraction

How to Mitigate CVE-2019-25536

Immediate Actions Required

• If possible, restrict network access to the PHP Real Estate Agency application until a patch is applied
• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to filter SQL injection attempts targeting the features[] parameter
• Review database user permissions and apply the principle of least privilege
• Enable comprehensive logging for forensic analysis and attack detection

Patch Information

No official vendor patch information is currently available for this vulnerability. Organizations should contact Netartmedia directly for security updates or consider migrating to alternative, actively maintained real estate management solutions. For additional technical details, refer to the VulnCheck Advisory.

Workarounds

• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with SQL injection protection rules as an interim protective measure
• Implement input validation at the application level by sanitizing all user input before database queries
• Use parameterized queries or prepared statements if modifying the application code is possible
• Restrict database user permissions to read-only where write access is not required for the features[] functionality
• Consider network-level access controls to limit exposure of the vulnerable application to trusted networks only

# Example WAF rule configuration (ModSecurity)
# Block SQL injection attempts in features parameter
SecRule ARGS:features[] "@detectSQLi" \
    "id:1001,\
    phase:2,\
    deny,\
    status:403,\
    msg:'SQL Injection attempt detected in features parameter',\
    log,\
    auditlog"