CVE-2026-10877 Overview
CVE-2026-10877 is a SQL injection vulnerability affecting SourceCodester Ship Ferry Ticket Reservation System up to version 1.0. The flaw resides in the /admin/login.php endpoint, where the Username parameter is concatenated into a SQL query without proper sanitization. Attackers can manipulate the authentication request remotely to bypass login controls and access the administrative interface. The exploit details have been disclosed publicly, increasing the likelihood of opportunistic attacks against exposed installations. The weakness is classified under [CWE-74] (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component).
Critical Impact
Unauthenticated remote attackers can inject SQL through the admin login form, leading to authentication bypass and unauthorized administrative access.
Affected Products
- SourceCodester Ship Ferry Ticket Reservation System 1.0
- Component: Admin Login (/admin/login.php)
- Parameter: Username
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-06-05 - CVE-2026-10877 published to NVD
- 2026-06-05 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2026-10877
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability exists in the administrator authentication flow of the Ship Ferry Ticket Reservation System. The /admin/login.php script accepts a Username value from the login form and incorporates it directly into a SQL statement. Because the application does not use parameterized queries or escape user-supplied input, an attacker can inject SQL syntax that alters the meaning of the authentication query. The result is an authentication bypass that grants access to the administrative panel without valid credentials.
Attackers do not need prior authentication, user interaction, or local access. The login form is exposed over the network, which makes any internet-accessible deployment reachable for exploitation.
Root Cause
The root cause is improper neutralization of special characters in the Username parameter before it is passed to the backend database query. Standard authentication payloads such as tautology-based injections (for example, terminating the username string and appending an always-true condition) cause the WHERE clause to match an administrative record. Lack of prepared statements and input validation enables this class of attack.
Attack Vector
Exploitation occurs over HTTP/HTTPS by submitting a crafted POST request to /admin/login.php. The attacker supplies a malicious Username value designed to short-circuit the authentication logic. A public proof-of-concept walkthrough has been published, describing how the injection achieves authentication bypass against the login mechanism. See the Medium write-up on the authentication bypass and the VulDB entry for CVE-2026-10877 for additional technical context.
Detection Methods for CVE-2026-10877
Indicators of Compromise
- POST requests to /admin/login.php containing SQL metacharacters such as single quotes, --, #, OR 1=1, or UNION SELECT in the Username field.
- Successful admin session creation immediately after a malformed or unusually long Username value in web server access logs.
- Database error messages or anomalous query patterns referencing the users or admin tables originating from the login endpoint.
Detection Strategies
- Inspect web server and application logs for Username payloads that contain SQL operators or comment sequences targeting /admin/login.php.
- Deploy web application firewall (WAF) rules that flag tautology-based and union-based SQL injection patterns on authentication endpoints.
- Correlate failed login bursts followed by a single successful admin login from the same source IP as a potential bypass indicator.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable verbose authentication logging on the application server and forward logs to a centralized analytics platform for query-based hunting.
- Monitor for outbound database errors or unexpected schema enumeration queries originating from the web application user.
- Alert on first-time administrative logins from unrecognized IP addresses or geographies.
How to Mitigate CVE-2026-10877
Immediate Actions Required
- Restrict network access to /admin/login.php using IP allowlists, VPN, or reverse proxy authentication until a code-level fix is applied.
- Audit the admin user table and active sessions for unauthorized entries created since the application was exposed.
- Deploy WAF signatures that block SQL injection payloads on the login endpoint as a compensating control.
Patch Information
No official vendor patch is referenced in the public advisories for CVE-2026-10877 at the time of publication. Operators should remediate at the source code level by replacing string-concatenated SQL with prepared statements using parameter binding (for example, mysqli_prepare or PDO with bindParam), and by validating that Username contains only expected characters. Track the VulDB record and the SourceCodester project page for any subsequent updates.
Workarounds
- Place the admin interface behind an authenticating reverse proxy or HTTP basic authentication layer so the vulnerable endpoint is not directly reachable.
- Apply input validation at the web server layer to reject Username values containing quotes, semicolons, or SQL comment characters.
- Move the application to an isolated network segment and disable public exposure if administrative access is not required from the internet.
# Example WAF rule (ModSecurity) to block SQLi patterns on the admin login endpoint
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@streq /admin/login.php" \
"phase:2,chain,deny,status:403,id:1010877,msg:'Possible SQLi on admin login (CVE-2026-10877)'"
SecRule ARGS:Username "@rx (?i)(\b(or|union|select|sleep)\b|--|#|';)" "t:none,t:urlDecodeUni"
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
