CVE-2020-37081: Fishing Reservation System SQLi Flaw

CVE-2020-37081 Overview

CVE-2020-37081 is a SQL Injection vulnerability affecting Fishing Reservation System version 7.5. The application contains multiple remote SQL injection vulnerabilities across several PHP files including admin.php, cart.php, and calendar.php. These vulnerabilities allow attackers to inject malicious SQL commands through various unvalidated parameters, potentially leading to full database compromise and unauthorized access to sensitive information.

Critical Impact

Attackers can exploit vulnerable parameters (uid, pid, type, m, y, and code) to compromise the database management system and web application without requiring user interaction. This network-accessible vulnerability poses significant risks to data confidentiality and integrity.

Affected Products

• Fishing Reservation System 7.5
• PHP applications using vulnerable admin.php, cart.php, and calendar.php modules
• Database backends connected to vulnerable Fishing Reservation System installations

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-03 - CVE-2020-37081 published to NVD
• 2026-02-04 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2020-37081

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability (CWE-89: SQL Injection) represents a critical failure in input validation where user-supplied data is directly incorporated into SQL queries without proper sanitization or parameterization. The affected application exposes multiple injection points across three distinct PHP files, significantly expanding the attack surface available to malicious actors.

The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires no authentication for exploitation in some attack scenarios and does not require any user interaction. An attacker with network access to the vulnerable application can craft malicious HTTP requests containing SQL injection payloads that will be executed against the backend database.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2020-37081 stems from improper input validation in the Fishing Reservation System's PHP codebase. The application fails to sanitize or parameterize user-controlled input before incorporating it into SQL queries. Specifically, the vulnerable parameters (uid, pid, type, m, y, and code) are processed directly within database queries, allowing attackers to manipulate query logic and extract or modify sensitive data.

This represents a fundamental secure coding failure where dynamic SQL construction uses untrusted input without proper escaping, prepared statements, or parameterized queries.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability is network-based, meaning attackers can exploit it remotely without requiring physical access to the target system. The vulnerable parameters are accessible through standard HTTP requests to the affected PHP files.

An attacker would craft HTTP requests containing SQL injection payloads targeting one or more of the vulnerable parameters. For example, manipulating the uid parameter in admin.php could allow authentication bypass, while targeting parameters in cart.php or calendar.php could enable data exfiltration or modification.

The exploitation process typically involves reconnaissance to identify vulnerable parameters, followed by injection of malicious SQL syntax to achieve objectives such as extracting database contents, bypassing authentication mechanisms, or modifying stored data. Detailed technical information about exploitation techniques is available in the Exploit-DB #48417 entry and the VulnCheck Advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2020-37081

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual SQL error messages appearing in web server logs or application responses
• Requests to admin.php, cart.php, or calendar.php containing SQL syntax characters such as single quotes, semicolons, or UNION keywords
• Abnormal database query patterns or unexpected query execution times
• Evidence of data exfiltration or unauthorized data modifications in database audit logs

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block common SQL injection patterns in HTTP requests
• Deploy SentinelOne Singularity Platform for real-time detection of exploitation attempts and post-compromise activities
• Enable detailed logging on web servers and databases to capture request parameters and query execution
• Use intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for SQL injection attack patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor HTTP request logs for suspicious parameter values containing SQL metacharacters in the uid, pid, type, m, y, and code parameters
• Enable database query logging and alert on unusual query patterns or syntax errors
• Implement application-level logging to track parameter values passed to vulnerable endpoints
• Set up alerts for failed authentication attempts or unusual administrative access patterns

How to Mitigate CVE-2020-37081

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict network access to the Fishing Reservation System administration interfaces using firewall rules or VPN requirements
• Implement input validation and output encoding at the web application level
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall with SQL injection protection rules in front of vulnerable applications
• Consider taking the application offline if patches are not available and the system processes sensitive data

Patch Information

Organizations using Fishing Reservation System 7.5 should check the Fishing Reservation System website for security updates and patches addressing these SQL injection vulnerabilities. Additional vulnerability details can be found in the Vulnerability Lab Entry #2243.

Workarounds

• Implement prepared statements and parameterized queries in custom PHP code interacting with the database
• Deploy input validation to reject requests containing SQL metacharacters in the vulnerable parameters
• Use a reverse proxy or WAF to filter malicious requests before they reach the application
• Limit database user privileges to the minimum required for application functionality to reduce impact of successful exploitation

# Example WAF rule to block SQL injection attempts (ModSecurity)
SecRule ARGS "@rx (?i)(\b(union|select|insert|update|delete|drop|truncate|alter)\b.*\b(from|into|set|table)\b)" \
    "id:1001,phase:2,deny,status:403,msg:'SQL Injection Attempt Detected',log"