CVE-2019-25542: Netartmedia Real Estate Portal SQLi Flaw

CVE-2019-25542 Overview

Netartmedia Real Estate Portal 5.0 contains a SQL injection vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to manipulate database queries by injecting SQL code through the user_email parameter. Attackers can send POST requests to index.php with malicious payloads in the user_email field to bypass authentication, extract sensitive data, or modify database contents.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can exploit this SQL injection vulnerability to bypass authentication mechanisms, extract sensitive user data, and potentially gain full control over the underlying database.

Affected Products

• Netartmedia Real Estate Portal 5.0

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-12 - CVE-2019-25542 published to NVD
• 2026-03-12 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2019-25542

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-89 (SQL Injection), representing an improper neutralization of special elements used in SQL commands. The Real Estate Portal application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input in the user_email parameter before incorporating it into SQL queries.

The vulnerability is accessible over the network without requiring any authentication or user interaction, making it particularly dangerous for internet-facing installations. Successful exploitation can lead to high confidentiality impact through unauthorized data access and some integrity impact through potential data modification.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2019-25542 stems from inadequate input validation and the absence of parameterized queries in the application's authentication handling code. When processing POST requests to index.php, the application directly concatenates the user_email parameter value into SQL query strings without proper sanitization or prepared statement usage. This allows malicious SQL syntax to be interpreted as part of the database query rather than as literal data.

Attack Vector

The attack is performed via network-based POST requests targeting the index.php endpoint. An attacker crafts a malicious HTTP POST request containing SQL injection payloads within the user_email form field. Since no authentication is required, any remote attacker can exploit this vulnerability.

The exploitation flow involves:

1. Identifying the vulnerable index.php endpoint
2. Crafting a POST request with SQL injection payload in the user_email parameter
3. Submitting the request to manipulate the underlying SQL query
4. Extracting data, bypassing authentication, or modifying database contents based on the injected SQL commands

For technical details and proof-of-concept information, refer to the Exploit-DB entry #46563 and the VulnCheck Security Advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2019-25542

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual POST requests to index.php containing SQL syntax characters such as single quotes, semicolons, or SQL keywords in the user_email parameter
• Web server logs showing requests with URL-encoded SQL injection patterns targeting authentication endpoints
• Database logs indicating failed or anomalous queries originating from the web application
• Evidence of data exfiltration through error-based or time-based SQL injection techniques

Detection Strategies

• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block common SQL injection patterns in POST parameters
• Configure intrusion detection systems (IDS) to alert on SQL injection signature matches in HTTP traffic
• Enable detailed logging on the database server to capture suspicious query patterns
• Implement application-level logging to track authentication attempts and parameter values

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor web server access logs for repeated POST requests to index.php with unusual user_email values
• Set up alerts for database query errors that may indicate injection attempts
• Review application logs for authentication bypass indicators or unexpected successful logins
• Track outbound data transfers that could indicate successful data exfiltration

How to Mitigate CVE-2019-25542

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict public access to the affected Real Estate Portal application until a patch is applied
• Implement a Web Application Firewall with SQL injection protection rules in front of the application
• Review database logs for signs of prior exploitation and assess potential data compromise
• Consider taking the application offline if it processes sensitive data and cannot be immediately secured

Patch Information

No vendor patch information is currently available for this vulnerability. Organizations should contact Netartmedia directly for remediation guidance or consider migrating to an alternative, actively maintained real estate portal solution.

Workarounds

• Deploy a reverse proxy or WAF configured to filter SQL injection patterns from the user_email parameter
• Implement network-level access controls to restrict access to the application to trusted IP addresses only
• If source code access is available, modify the authentication code to use parameterized queries or prepared statements
• Disable or remove the vulnerable authentication functionality if it is not business-critical

# Example WAF rule for ModSecurity to block SQL injection in user_email parameter
SecRule ARGS:user_email "@detectSQLi" \
    "id:100001,\
    phase:2,\
    deny,\
    status:403,\
    log,\
    msg:'SQL Injection attempt detected in user_email parameter',\
    tag:'CVE-2019-25542'"