CVE-2019-25573: Njtech Greencms SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2019-25573 Overview

CVE-2019-25573 is a SQL Injection vulnerability affecting Green CMS 2.x, a content management system developed by Njtech. The vulnerability allows authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary SQL queries by injecting malicious code through the cat parameter in HTTP GET requests. By targeting index.php with specific module parameters (m=admin, c=posts, a=index), attackers can manipulate database queries to extract sensitive information or potentially compromise the underlying database.

SQL Injection vulnerabilities like this one (CWE-89) remain among the most critical web application security flaws, enabling attackers to bypass authentication, access unauthorized data, and in severe cases, gain complete control over database servers.

Critical Impact

Authenticated attackers can exploit this SQL injection flaw to extract sensitive information from the database, potentially compromising user credentials, site configurations, and other confidential data stored within Green CMS installations.

Affected Products

• Njtech GreenCMS 2.x (all versions in the 2.x branch)

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-21 - CVE-2019-25573 published to NVD
• 2026-03-24 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2019-25573

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL Injection vulnerability exists in the administrative posts management functionality of Green CMS 2.x. The application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input in the cat parameter before incorporating it into SQL queries. When an authenticated user with access to the admin panel sends a crafted GET request containing malicious SQL code in the cat parameter, the application directly concatenates this input into database queries without adequate validation or parameterization.

The exploitation requires low privileges (authenticated access) and can be performed remotely over the network. The primary impact is on data confidentiality, with potential for unauthorized read access to sensitive database contents and limited write capabilities.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2019-25573 is improper input validation and the lack of parameterized queries in the posts management module. The cat parameter value is directly interpolated into SQL statements without sanitization, escaping, or the use of prepared statements. This classic SQL injection pattern allows attackers to break out of the intended query structure and inject their own SQL commands.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-based and targets the administrative interface of Green CMS. An attacker must first obtain authenticated access to the admin panel, then craft a malicious GET request to index.php with the following parameters:

• m=admin - Specifies the admin module
• c=posts - Specifies the posts controller
• a=index - Specifies the index action
• cat=[MALICIOUS_SQL] - Contains the injected SQL payload

The injected SQL code can include UNION-based injection techniques to extract data from other database tables, Boolean-based blind injection for data exfiltration, or time-based blind injection to infer information when direct output is not visible. Technical exploitation details are documented in the Exploit-DB #46244 advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2019-25573

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual GET requests to index.php containing SQL syntax keywords in the cat parameter (e.g., UNION, SELECT, OR, AND, single quotes)
• Database error messages in application logs indicating malformed SQL queries
• Unexpected database query patterns or access to sensitive tables from the posts management module
• Authentication logs showing access to admin panel followed by suspicious parameter patterns

Detection Strategies

• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect SQL injection patterns in the cat parameter
• Implement database activity monitoring to identify anomalous query patterns or unauthorized data access
• Configure application-level logging to capture and alert on requests containing SQL injection indicators
• Use intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for SQL injection attack patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging for the Green CMS admin module to capture all parameter values in requests
• Monitor database query logs for statements originating from the posts index functionality that contain unexpected SQL syntax
• Set up alerts for error responses from the database that may indicate injection attempts
• Review access logs regularly for patterns of exploitation attempts targeting the cat parameter

How to Mitigate CVE-2019-25573

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict access to the Green CMS admin panel to trusted networks and IP addresses only
• Implement Web Application Firewall rules to block requests containing SQL injection patterns in URL parameters
• Review and audit database user privileges to limit the impact of potential SQL injection exploitation
• Consider temporarily disabling the posts management functionality if immediate patching is not possible

Patch Information

No official vendor patch information is available at this time. Organizations using Green CMS 2.x should monitor the GreenCMS Official Website and the GreenCMS GitHub repository for security updates. Review the VulnCheck Green CMS Advisory for additional guidance.

Workarounds

• Implement input validation at the application level to sanitize the cat parameter before processing
• Deploy a reverse proxy or WAF that filters malicious SQL injection patterns from incoming requests
• Limit database user permissions to the minimum required privileges to reduce the impact of successful exploitation
• Consider migrating to an alternative CMS solution if Green CMS is no longer actively maintained

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