CVE-2019-25638: Meeplace Business Review Script SQLi Flaw

CVE-2019-25638 Overview

Meeplace Business Review Script contains an SQL injection vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary SQL queries by injecting malicious code through the id parameter. Attackers can send GET requests to the addclick.php endpoint with crafted SQL payloads in the id parameter to extract sensitive database information or cause denial of service.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can exploit this SQL injection vulnerability to extract sensitive database contents, modify data, or cause denial of service without any prior authentication.

Affected Products

• Meeplace Business Review Script (all versions)

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-24 - CVE-2019-25638 published to NVD
• 2026-03-24 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2019-25638

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 vulnerability exists in the addclick.php endpoint of the Meeplace Business Review Script, where the id parameter is directly incorporated into SQL queries without proper sanitization or parameterization.

When user-supplied input is concatenated directly into SQL statements, attackers can manipulate the query logic by injecting special SQL characters and commands. This allows unauthorized access to the underlying database, enabling data exfiltration, modification, or deletion depending on the database permissions configured for the application.

The network-accessible nature of this vulnerability combined with no authentication requirements makes it particularly dangerous for publicly deployed instances of the application.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper input validation and the absence of parameterized queries (prepared statements) in the addclick.php script. The application fails to sanitize user-controlled input from the id GET parameter before incorporating it into database queries, allowing SQL metacharacters to escape the intended query context and execute attacker-controlled SQL commands.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, requiring no authentication or user interaction beyond accessing the vulnerable endpoint. An attacker can craft a malicious HTTP GET request targeting the addclick.php endpoint with a specially crafted id parameter containing SQL injection payloads.

The exploitation mechanism involves sending requests like addclick.php?id=[SQL_PAYLOAD] where the payload contains SQL syntax designed to extract data, modify records, or disrupt database operations. Common techniques include UNION-based injection for data extraction, boolean-based blind injection for inferring data, and time-based injection for confirming vulnerability presence.

For technical details on this vulnerability, refer to the Exploit-DB #46592 advisory and the VulnCheck Advisory on MeePlace.

Detection Methods for CVE-2019-25638

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual GET requests to addclick.php with SQL syntax characters in the id parameter (e.g., single quotes, UNION statements, OR 1=1)
• Database error messages appearing in web server logs or application responses
• Unexpected database queries in database audit logs, particularly those targeting system tables or performing data extraction
• Abnormal response sizes from the addclick.php endpoint indicating potential data exfiltration

Detection Strategies

• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect SQL injection patterns in the id parameter
• Implement database query logging and monitor for anomalous query patterns or unauthorized SELECT statements
• Configure intrusion detection systems (IDS) to alert on common SQL injection signatures in HTTP traffic
• Review web server access logs for requests containing URL-encoded SQL syntax targeting addclick.php

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for the addclick.php endpoint and review logs regularly for suspicious parameter values
• Monitor database performance metrics for unusual query execution patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts
• Set up alerts for database authentication failures or permission denied errors that could indicate post-exploitation activity

How to Mitigate CVE-2019-25638

Immediate Actions Required

• Remove or restrict access to the addclick.php endpoint if not critical to business operations
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with SQL injection protection rules in front of the application
• Implement network-level access controls to limit exposure of the vulnerable application
• Review database logs for evidence of prior exploitation and assess potential data compromise

Patch Information

No official vendor patch information is currently available in the CVE data. Organizations should contact MeePlace directly for updated software versions or security patches. If no patch is available, consider replacing the vulnerable script with a secure alternative or implementing the workarounds below.

Workarounds

• Implement input validation at the application level to reject non-numeric characters in the id parameter
• Deploy a reverse proxy or WAF configured to block requests containing SQL injection patterns
• Use parameterized queries or prepared statements if modifying the source code is feasible
• Restrict database user privileges to minimum required permissions to limit the impact of successful exploitation

# Example WAF configuration to block SQL injection patterns (ModSecurity)
SecRule ARGS:id "@detectSQLi" \
    "id:1001,\
    phase:2,\
    block,\
    msg:'SQL Injection Attempt Detected in id parameter',\
    logdata:'%{MATCHED_VAR}',\
    severity:'CRITICAL'"