CVE-2026-11530: Student Management System SQLi Flaw

CVE-2026-11530 Overview

CVE-2026-11530 is a SQL injection vulnerability in the imvks786/student_management_system open-source project. The flaw resides in the Login component, specifically within the /index.ph file. Attackers can manipulate the usr and pwd parameters to inject arbitrary SQL statements. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable without authentication or user interaction, and a public exploit disclosure exists. The project uses a rolling release model, so no fixed version is identified. The maintainer was notified through a GitHub issue but has not responded.

Critical Impact
Unauthenticated remote attackers can inject SQL through login parameters, exposing stored credentials and student records to disclosure, modification, or deletion.

Affected Products

imvks786/student_management_system repository up to commit 9599b560ad3c3b83e75d328b76bedcd489ef1f46
Login component handler in /index.ph
All rolling-release deployments derived from the affected commit

Discovery Timeline

2026-06-08 - CVE-2026-11530 published to NVD
2026-06-09 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-11530

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is classified under [CWE-74] as improper neutralization of special elements in output used by a downstream component. The Login handler in /index.ph accepts the usr and pwd request parameters and concatenates them into a SQL query without parameterization or input sanitization. An attacker submitting crafted SQL fragments in either parameter alters the query semantics. Successful exploitation can bypass authentication, enumerate database contents, or modify stored records. The vulnerability is reachable over the network with no privileges or user interaction.

Root Cause

The root cause is the construction of SQL statements through direct string concatenation of user-supplied input. The Login routine fails to use prepared statements or parameter binding for the usr and pwd fields. No server-side validation rejects metacharacters such as single quotes, comment markers, or boolean operators before the query reaches the database driver.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based against the publicly exposed login endpoint. An attacker sends an HTTP request to /index.ph with crafted values in the usr or pwd parameters. Classic payloads such as ' OR '1'='1 or UNION-based extraction queries can be supplied. No credentials are required to reach the vulnerable code path. The exploit is publicly available, increasing the likelihood of opportunistic abuse against exposed instances.

// No verified exploit code is published in the referenced advisories.
// Refer to the VulDB record for technical details on the injection payload.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-11530

Indicators of Compromise

HTTP POST or GET requests to /index.ph containing SQL metacharacters such as ', --, /*, UNION, or OR 1=1 in the usr or pwd parameters
Web server logs showing repeated authentication attempts with anomalous parameter lengths or encodings
Database error messages referencing syntax errors originating from the login query
Unexpected outbound queries from the database server following login activity

Detection Strategies

Deploy web application firewall rules that inspect login parameters for SQL injection signatures
Enable database query logging and alert on authentication queries that produce syntax errors or return abnormal row counts
Correlate failed login bursts with successful logins from the same source to detect bypass attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

Monitor HTTP access logs for requests to /index.ph with non-alphanumeric characters in credential fields
Track database account activity for unusual SELECT patterns against user, session, or grade tables
Alert on new administrative sessions created without preceding normal authentication flows

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-11530

Immediate Actions Required

Remove public network exposure of the affected student_management_system instance until a patch is available
Restrict access to the /index.ph endpoint through network-level access controls or authentication proxies
Rotate any credentials stored in the application database, assuming potential disclosure
Subscribe to the GitHub Issue Tracker for upstream remediation status

Patch Information

No official patch has been released. The project follows a rolling release model and the maintainer has not responded to the disclosure issue at the time of publication. Refer to the GitHub Project Repository for updates and to the VulDB CVE Record for advisory tracking.

Workarounds

Modify the Login handler to use prepared statements with parameter binding for usr and pwd instead of string concatenation
Add server-side input validation that rejects SQL metacharacters in credential fields before query construction
Deploy a web application firewall in front of the application with SQL injection signatures enabled for the login path
Restrict database account privileges used by the application to the minimum required for normal operation

bash

# Example PHP mitigation using PDO prepared statements
$stmt = $pdo->prepare('SELECT id FROM users WHERE username = :usr AND password = :pwd');
$stmt->execute([':usr' => $_POST['usr'], ':pwd' => hash('sha256', $_POST['pwd'])]);
$user = $stmt->fetch(PDO::FETCH_ASSOC);