CVE-2019-25697: CMSsite 1.0 SQL Injection Vulnerability

CVE-2019-25697 Overview

CMSsite 1.0 contains an SQL injection vulnerability (CWE-89) that allows unauthenticated attackers to manipulate database queries by injecting SQL code through the cat_id parameter. Attackers can send GET requests to category.php with malicious cat_id values to extract sensitive database information including usernames and credentials.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can extract sensitive database contents including user credentials by exploiting this SQL injection flaw in the category.php endpoint.

Affected Products

• CMSsite 1.0

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-04-12 - CVE CVE-2019-25697 published to NVD
• 2026-04-13 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2019-25697

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL injection vulnerability exists in CMSsite 1.0's category.php file, which fails to properly sanitize the cat_id parameter before incorporating it into database queries. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-89 (SQL Injection), indicating improper neutralization of special elements used in SQL commands.

The attack can be executed remotely over the network without any authentication requirements, making it particularly dangerous for exposed CMSsite installations. Successful exploitation allows attackers to read sensitive data from the database, including user credentials and other confidential information.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is insufficient input validation and sanitization of the cat_id parameter in category.php. When user-supplied input is directly concatenated into SQL queries without proper parameterization or escaping, attackers can inject arbitrary SQL statements that the database engine will execute with the same privileges as the application.

Attack Vector

The attack is performed by sending specially crafted HTTP GET requests to the category.php endpoint with a malicious cat_id parameter value. Since no authentication is required, any remote attacker can exploit this vulnerability by injecting SQL syntax into the parameter. The injected SQL code can be designed to extract database contents, including table structures, usernames, passwords, and other sensitive information stored in the database.

Additional technical details are available in the Exploit-DB #46259 entry and the VulnCheck Advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2019-25697

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual HTTP GET requests to category.php containing SQL syntax characters such as single quotes, double dashes, UNION keywords, or SELECT statements in the cat_id parameter
• Database error messages appearing in application logs indicating malformed SQL queries
• Unexpected database query patterns or high volumes of queries to user/credential tables
• Web server access logs showing repeated requests to category.php with varying cat_id values

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in the cat_id parameter
• Configure intrusion detection systems to alert on SQL injection attack signatures targeting PHP applications
• Enable and monitor database query logging for suspicious query patterns involving UNION-based or error-based extraction techniques
• Deploy runtime application self-protection (RASP) solutions to identify SQL injection attempts in real-time

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor web server access logs for requests containing SQL keywords in URL parameters
• Set up alerts for database authentication failures or unusual data access patterns
• Review application error logs for SQL syntax errors that may indicate exploitation attempts
• Track outbound data transfers from database servers for potential data exfiltration

How to Mitigate CVE-2019-25697

Immediate Actions Required

• Remove or restrict public access to CMSsite installations running version 1.0
• Implement input validation and parameterized queries for the cat_id parameter in category.php
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with SQL injection protection rules as a temporary mitigation
• Audit database logs and access controls to identify any potential prior exploitation

Patch Information

No official vendor patch has been identified in the available CVE data. The CMSsite project source code is available via the GitHub CMSsite Archive. Organizations should review the source code and implement proper input sanitization or consider migrating to an actively maintained CMS platform.

Workarounds

• Implement server-side input validation to allow only numeric values for the cat_id parameter
• Use prepared statements or parameterized queries when processing user input in database operations
• Deploy a WAF rule to block requests containing SQL injection patterns in the cat_id parameter
• Restrict network access to the CMSsite application to trusted IP addresses only

# Example Apache mod_rewrite rule to block SQL injection attempts
# Add to .htaccess or Apache configuration
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} (union|select|insert|update|delete|drop|script|--|') [NC]
RewriteRule ^category\.php$ - [F,L]