CVE-2019-25642: Bootstrapy CMS SQL Injection Vulnerability

CVE-2019-25642 Overview

Bootstrapy CMS contains multiple SQL injection vulnerabilities that allow unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary SQL queries by injecting malicious code through POST parameters. Attackers can inject SQL payloads into the thread_id parameter of forum-thread.php, the subject parameter of contact-submit.php, the post-id parameter of post-new-submit.php, and the thread-id parameter to extract sensitive database information or cause denial of service.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated remote attackers can exploit these SQL injection vulnerabilities to extract sensitive database contents, modify data, or cause denial of service through multiple vulnerable endpoints in the Bootstrapy CMS platform.

Affected Products

• Bootstrapy CMS (all versions)

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-24 - CVE-2019-25642 published to NVD
• 2026-03-24 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2019-25642

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command), commonly known as SQL Injection. The Bootstrapy CMS fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before incorporating it into SQL queries across multiple endpoints within the forum and contact modules.

The vulnerable parameters exist in several PHP files that handle user input without adequate validation or parameterized queries. The forum-thread.php script accepts a thread_id parameter, contact-submit.php processes a subject parameter, and post-new-submit.php handles a post-id parameter—all of which are susceptible to SQL injection attacks.

Because these endpoints do not require authentication, any remote attacker can submit malicious SQL statements through these parameters. This enables attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms, enumerate database contents, exfiltrate sensitive information such as user credentials, or manipulate database records.

Root Cause

The root cause of these vulnerabilities lies in the improper handling of user input within the Bootstrapy CMS codebase. The affected PHP scripts directly concatenate user-supplied POST parameter values into SQL query strings without implementing input sanitization, parameterized queries, or prepared statements. This allows attackers to break out of the intended query structure and inject arbitrary SQL commands.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-based and requires no authentication or user interaction. An attacker can send specially crafted HTTP POST requests to the vulnerable endpoints (forum-thread.php, contact-submit.php, or post-new-submit.php) with malicious SQL payloads embedded in the affected parameters.

The vulnerable parameters (thread_id, subject, post-id, thread-id) accept user input that is directly incorporated into backend SQL queries. By injecting SQL syntax such as single quotes, UNION statements, or time-based blind injection payloads, attackers can manipulate query execution to extract data, modify records, or cause application errors. For detailed exploitation techniques and proof-of-concept examples, refer to Exploit-DB #46590.

Detection Methods for CVE-2019-25642

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual database queries containing SQL syntax characters (single quotes, UNION, SELECT, etc.) in web server access logs
• Requests to forum-thread.php, contact-submit.php, or post-new-submit.php with abnormally long or encoded parameter values
• Database error messages appearing in application logs indicating syntax errors or unexpected query behavior
• Unexplained data exfiltration or modifications in database audit logs

Detection Strategies

• Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in POST parameters
• Monitor web server logs for requests containing SQL keywords (UNION, SELECT, INSERT, DROP, etc.) in parameter values
• Deploy database activity monitoring to detect anomalous query patterns or unauthorized data access
• Configure intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for SQL injection attack patterns targeting the affected endpoints

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for the forum-thread.php, contact-submit.php, and post-new-submit.php endpoints
• Set up alerts for database errors that may indicate injection attempts
• Monitor for unusual database query execution times that could indicate time-based blind SQL injection
• Review database audit logs regularly for unauthorized SELECT queries against sensitive tables

How to Mitigate CVE-2019-25642

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict or disable public access to the affected endpoints (forum-thread.php, contact-submit.php, post-new-submit.php) until patches are applied
• Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) with SQL injection protection rules in front of the Bootstrapy CMS installation
• Implement network-level access controls to limit exposure of the vulnerable application
• Review database accounts used by the application and apply the principle of least privilege

Patch Information

No official vendor patch information is available at this time. Review the VulnCheck Advisory on Bootstrapy CMS for the latest remediation guidance. Organizations using Bootstrapy CMS should contact the vendor or consider migrating to a more actively maintained CMS solution.

Workarounds

• Implement input validation at the application level by modifying the vulnerable PHP files to use prepared statements with parameterized queries
• Deploy a reverse proxy with mod_security or similar WAF capabilities to filter malicious requests
• Disable or remove the forum and contact submission modules if they are not essential for business operations
• Place the affected endpoints behind authentication to reduce the attack surface from unauthenticated attackers
• Consider using database account restrictions to limit the damage potential of successful SQL injection attacks

# Example mod_security rule to block SQL injection attempts
SecRule ARGS "@detectSQLi" \
    "id:1001,\
    phase:2,\
    block,\
    msg:'SQL Injection Attack Detected',\
    logdata:'Matched Data: %{MATCHED_VAR}',\
    severity:'CRITICAL'"