CVE-2019-25672: Kartatopia Piluscart SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2019-25672 Overview

PilusCart 1.4.1 contains a SQL injection vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to manipulate database queries by injecting SQL code through the send parameter. Attackers can submit POST requests to the comment submission endpoint with RLIKE-based boolean SQL injection payloads to extract sensitive database information. This CWE-89 vulnerability enables remote attackers to bypass authentication, extract confidential data, and potentially compromise the underlying database server.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can exploit this SQL injection flaw to extract sensitive database contents including user credentials, customer information, and administrative data without requiring any authentication.

Affected Products

• Kartatopia PilusCart version 1.4.1

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-04-05 - CVE CVE-2019-25672 published to NVD
• 2026-04-09 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2019-25672

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL injection vulnerability exists in the comment submission functionality of PilusCart 1.4.1. The application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input in the send parameter before incorporating it into SQL queries. This allows attackers to inject malicious SQL code that the database server interprets and executes as part of the original query.

The vulnerability is exploitable over the network without any authentication requirements or user interaction. An attacker can achieve high confidentiality impact by extracting sensitive database contents and low integrity impact by potentially modifying data. The exploitation technique involves RLIKE-based boolean SQL injection, a method that leverages MySQL's regular expression matching to infer database contents through true/false responses.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper input validation (CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command). The send parameter in the comment submission endpoint accepts user input that is directly concatenated into SQL queries without proper parameterization or input sanitization. This allows special SQL characters and commands to be interpreted by the database engine rather than treated as literal data values.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, targeting the comment submission endpoint via HTTP POST requests. An unauthenticated attacker can craft malicious requests containing RLIKE-based boolean SQL injection payloads in the send parameter. By observing the application's response behavior (such as different responses for true vs. false conditions), the attacker can systematically extract database contents character by character.

The boolean-based blind SQL injection technique works by appending conditional statements to the query that cause measurably different responses based on whether the injected condition evaluates to true or false. This allows data exfiltration even when error messages are suppressed.

For detailed technical information about this vulnerability, refer to the Exploit-DB #46368 entry and the VulnCheck Advisory on PilusCart.

Detection Methods for CVE-2019-25672

Indicators of Compromise

• POST requests to comment submission endpoints containing SQL keywords such as RLIKE, REGEXP, SELECT, UNION, or OR 1=1 in the send parameter
• Unusual patterns of repeated requests with slight variations in parameter values, indicative of automated SQL injection enumeration
• Database query logs showing anomalous RLIKE or regular expression operations on unexpected columns
• Unexpected database read operations or authentication bypass events in application logs

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in POST request parameters
• Enable database query logging and monitor for queries containing suspicious RLIKE or REGEXP operations originating from web application contexts
• Deploy intrusion detection signatures targeting common boolean-based blind SQL injection payloads
• Use application-layer monitoring to flag requests with SQL metacharacters in the send parameter

Monitoring Recommendations

• Review web server access logs for high-frequency POST requests to comment endpoints with varying parameter values
• Monitor database server logs for failed authentication attempts or unusual data extraction queries
• Implement anomaly detection for request patterns consistent with automated SQL injection tools
• Track and alert on any database errors or exceptions that may indicate injection attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2019-25672

Immediate Actions Required

• Immediately assess if PilusCart 1.4.1 is deployed in your environment and identify all exposed instances
• Implement Web Application Firewall rules to block SQL injection patterns targeting the send parameter
• Consider temporarily disabling the comment submission functionality until a patch can be applied
• Audit database logs for signs of prior exploitation and potential data exfiltration

Patch Information

No official vendor patch information is available in the current CVE data. The SourceForge Project Page should be monitored for any security updates from Kartatopia. Organizations should consider migrating to actively maintained e-commerce platforms if no patch is forthcoming.

Workarounds

• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with SQL injection detection rules in front of the vulnerable application
• Implement input validation at the application or reverse proxy level to sanitize the send parameter before it reaches the application
• Restrict network access to the PilusCart application to trusted IP addresses only
• Disable or remove the comment submission functionality if it is not business-critical

# Example WAF rule to block SQL injection in send parameter (ModSecurity)
SecRule ARGS:send "@rx (?i)(rlike|regexp|select|union|or\s+1\s*=\s*1)" \
    "id:100001,phase:2,deny,status:403,msg:'SQL Injection Attempt Blocked'"