CVE-2025-44831: EngineerCMS SQL Injection Vulnerability

CVE-2025-44831 Overview

CVE-2025-44831 is a critical SQL Injection vulnerability affecting EngineerCMS versions v1.02 through v2.0.5. The vulnerability exists in the /project/addproject interface, allowing unauthenticated attackers to inject malicious SQL queries and potentially compromise the underlying database. This vulnerability falls under CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command).

Critical Impact

This SQL injection vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands without authentication, potentially leading to complete database compromise, data exfiltration, and unauthorized system access.

Affected Products

• EngineerCMS v1.02 through v2.0.5
• engineercms_project engineercms (all vulnerable versions)

Discovery Timeline

• May 13, 2025 - CVE-2025-44831 published to NVD
• June 16, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-44831

Vulnerability Analysis

The SQL injection vulnerability in EngineerCMS resides within the /project/addproject interface. This endpoint fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before incorporating it into SQL queries executed against the backend database. The flaw enables network-based attackers to manipulate database queries without requiring any authentication or user interaction.

Successful exploitation could allow attackers to read, modify, or delete sensitive data stored in the database. In worst-case scenarios, attackers could leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges, execute operating system commands through database features, or pivot to other systems within the network.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper input validation and lack of parameterized queries in the /project/addproject endpoint. User-controlled input is directly concatenated into SQL statements without proper sanitization or escaping, creating a classic SQL injection attack surface. The application fails to implement prepared statements or other secure coding practices that would prevent malicious SQL from being executed.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based and requires no authentication or user interaction. An attacker can send specially crafted HTTP requests to the /project/addproject endpoint containing malicious SQL payloads. These payloads bypass any client-side validation and are processed directly by the backend database engine.

The vulnerability can be exploited through standard HTTP requests, making it accessible to any attacker who can reach the vulnerable EngineerCMS instance over the network. For detailed technical information about this vulnerability, refer to the GitHub Issue Discussion where the vulnerability was reported.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-44831

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual or malformed HTTP requests to the /project/addproject endpoint containing SQL syntax characters such as single quotes, semicolons, or SQL keywords
• Database error messages appearing in application logs or HTTP responses indicating SQL syntax errors
• Unexpected database query patterns in database audit logs, particularly involving UNION SELECT, DROP, INSERT, or DELETE statements
• Evidence of data exfiltration or unauthorized database access in system logs

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in requests to /project/addproject
• Monitor web server access logs for suspicious request patterns containing SQL injection payloads
• Enable database query logging and audit trails to detect unauthorized or anomalous SQL query execution
• Deploy runtime application self-protection (RASP) solutions to identify SQL injection attempts at the application layer

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure alerts for any HTTP requests to /project/addproject containing common SQL injection patterns
• Monitor database connection logs for unusual query volumes or suspicious statement types
• Implement network traffic analysis to detect potential data exfiltration following successful exploitation
• Review application error logs regularly for SQL-related exceptions that may indicate exploitation attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-44831

Immediate Actions Required

• Identify all EngineerCMS installations running versions v1.02 through v2.0.5 in your environment
• Restrict network access to vulnerable EngineerCMS instances until patches can be applied
• Implement WAF rules to block SQL injection patterns targeting the /project/addproject endpoint
• Monitor database activity for signs of compromise and review recent access logs for suspicious activity

Patch Information

Currently, no official patch information has been published by the vendor. Organizations should monitor the GitHub Issue Discussion for updates regarding a security fix. Until a patch is available, implement the recommended workarounds to reduce exposure risk.

Workarounds

• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with SQL injection detection rules in front of the EngineerCMS application
• Restrict access to the /project/addproject endpoint to trusted IP addresses only using network-level access controls
• Consider disabling the affected endpoint entirely if the project creation functionality is not critical to operations
• Implement input validation at the network perimeter to filter requests containing SQL injection patterns

# Example WAF rule for blocking SQL injection attempts (ModSecurity syntax)
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains /project/addproject" \
    "id:100001,\
    phase:2,\
    deny,\
    status:403,\
    chain"
    SecRule ARGS "@detectSQLi" \
        "log,\
        msg:'SQL Injection attempt blocked on EngineerCMS addproject endpoint'"