CVE-2025-49468: No Boss Calendar for Joomla SQLi Flaw

CVE-2025-49468 Overview

CVE-2025-49468 is a SQL injection vulnerability [CWE-89] affecting the No Boss Calendar component for Joomla before version 5.0.7. The flaw resides in the handling of the id_module parameter, which is not properly sanitized before being used in SQL queries. Authenticated remote attackers can inject arbitrary SQL commands through this parameter. Successful exploitation impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the underlying database. Site operators running affected Joomla deployments should upgrade to version 5.0.7 or later to remove the vulnerable code path.

Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers can execute arbitrary SQL queries against the Joomla database, enabling data theft, modification, or destruction.

Affected Products

No Boss Calendar component for Joomla, versions prior to 5.0.7
Joomla sites with the vulnerable extension installed and enabled
Multi-tenant Joomla environments exposing authenticated user roles

Discovery Timeline

2025-06-13 - CVE-2025-49468 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2026-04-15 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-49468

Vulnerability Analysis

The No Boss Calendar component fails to validate and parameterize the id_module request parameter before incorporating it into a database query. This allows authenticated attackers to break out of the intended query context and append arbitrary SQL syntax. Because the component executes queries with the privileges of the Joomla database user, exploitation exposes all tables accessible to that account.

Attackers with low-privilege authenticated access to the Joomla site can leverage this issue. The vulnerable endpoint is reachable over the network, and exploitation requires no user interaction. Privileged access is needed, but Joomla deployments commonly issue user accounts with permissions sufficient to reach component endpoints.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper neutralization of special elements used in an SQL command [CWE-89]. The id_module parameter is concatenated directly into a SQL statement rather than bound through a parameterized query or cast to a numeric type. Joomla's database abstraction layer provides safe binding primitives, but the affected code path bypasses them.

Attack Vector

An authenticated user submits a crafted HTTP request to the Joomla front end or administrator interface that includes a malicious id_module value. The injected payload extends the original SQL query with attacker-controlled clauses such as UNION SELECT, time-based blind primitives, or boolean conditions. The database returns sensitive data through response content or measurable timing differences. No verified public proof-of-concept code is currently available for this issue.

// No verified exploitation code is publicly available.
// See vendor references for technical details on the patched code paths.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-49468

Indicators of Compromise

Joomla access logs containing requests with non-numeric or encoded payloads in the id_module parameter
Database error messages referencing SQL syntax near component query strings
Unusual UNION SELECT, SLEEP(, or INFORMATION_SCHEMA substrings in HTTP query parameters
New or modified Joomla user accounts shortly after suspicious component requests

Detection Strategies

Inspect web server and Joomla request logs for the id_module parameter carrying characters outside [0-9]
Deploy web application firewall rules that flag SQL keywords in component query parameters
Correlate authenticated session activity with database error rates to surface blind injection attempts
Review the Joomla extensions list to confirm whether the No Boss Calendar component is installed and identify its version

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable Joomla's database query logging during incident triage and forward logs to a centralized analytics platform
Alert on outbound database connections originating from the web tier outside expected patterns
Track HTTP 500 responses from URLs that include the No Boss Calendar component path

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-49468

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade the No Boss Calendar component to version 5.0.7 or later on every Joomla site
Audit authenticated user accounts and revoke unnecessary access while patching is in progress
Rotate database credentials if exploitation is suspected and review the database for unauthorized changes
Review the Nobossextensions Security Overview for vendor release notes

Patch Information

The vendor addressed the vulnerability in No Boss Calendar version 5.0.7. Joomla administrators should update the component through the Joomla Extension Manager or by replacing the component package with the fixed release. Verify the installed version under the Extensions Manager after deployment.

Workarounds

Disable or uninstall the No Boss Calendar component until the upgrade is applied
Restrict access to authenticated Joomla endpoints with IP allowlisting where feasible
Configure web application firewall signatures to block SQL metacharacters in the id_module parameter

bash

# Example WAF rule fragment (ModSecurity) to block suspicious id_module values
SecRule ARGS:id_module "!@rx ^[0-9]+$" \
    "id:1004949,phase:2,deny,status:403,\
    msg:'Non-numeric id_module parameter blocked (CVE-2025-49468)'"