CVE-2026-1176: School Management System 1.0 SQLi Flaw

CVE-2026-1176 Overview

A SQL injection vulnerability has been discovered in itsourcecode School Management System version 1.0. The vulnerability exists in an unknown function of the file /subject/index.php, where manipulation of the ID argument enables SQL injection attacks. This flaw can be exploited remotely without authentication, allowing attackers to potentially access, modify, or delete sensitive data stored in the application's database. The exploit has been publicly disclosed and may be used for malicious purposes.

Critical Impact

This SQL injection vulnerability in a school management system could expose sensitive student, staff, and administrative data. Attackers can potentially extract personally identifiable information (PII), academic records, and administrative credentials through remote exploitation.

Affected Products

• itsourcecode School Management System 1.0
• /subject/index.php endpoint (ID parameter)

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-01-19 - CVE-2026-1176 published to NVD
• 2026-01-19 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-1176

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component), commonly referred to as injection. The affected endpoint /subject/index.php fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input in the ID parameter before incorporating it into SQL queries. This allows attackers to inject malicious SQL statements that are executed by the database engine.

The network-based attack vector means that any remote attacker with network access to the vulnerable application can exploit this flaw. No authentication or user interaction is required to trigger the vulnerability, significantly lowering the barrier to exploitation. The publicly available exploit increases the risk of widespread attacks against unpatched installations.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper input validation and lack of parameterized queries in the /subject/index.php file. When processing the ID parameter, the application directly concatenates user input into SQL query strings without proper sanitization or escaping. This allows specially crafted input containing SQL syntax to alter the intended query logic.

The absence of prepared statements or stored procedures with bound parameters creates a direct pathway for SQL injection. Additionally, there appears to be no input validation layer to verify that the ID parameter contains only expected numeric values.

Attack Vector

The attack is conducted remotely over the network by sending malicious HTTP requests to the /subject/index.php endpoint. An attacker crafts a request with a manipulated ID parameter containing SQL injection payloads such as UNION-based queries, boolean-based blind injection, or time-based blind injection techniques.

Successful exploitation could allow attackers to:

• Extract sensitive data from the database including student records, grades, and personal information
• Bypass authentication mechanisms
• Modify or delete database records
• Potentially escalate to operating system command execution depending on database configuration and privileges

For technical details and proof-of-concept information, refer to the GitHub CVE Issue Discussion and VulDB #341770.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-1176

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual SQL error messages in application logs or exposed to users
• Unexpected database queries containing SQL keywords in the ID parameter (UNION, SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, DROP, --, etc.)
• Anomalous access patterns to /subject/index.php with non-numeric ID values
• Database audit logs showing unauthorized data access or extraction

Detection Strategies

• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in the ID parameter
• Implement intrusion detection signatures for common SQL injection payloads targeting the /subject/index.php endpoint
• Enable and monitor database query logging for suspicious query patterns
• Configure application-level logging to capture malformed requests to the affected endpoint

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor HTTP access logs for requests to /subject/index.php with suspicious characters in the ID parameter
• Set up alerts for database errors or exceptions that may indicate injection attempts
• Review database audit trails for unauthorized SELECT statements or data exfiltration patterns
• Implement network monitoring for unusual outbound data transfers that could indicate successful data extraction

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-1176

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict network access to the affected application until patches are applied
• Implement WAF rules to filter SQL injection attempts targeting the /subject/index.php endpoint
• Review and audit database access permissions to minimize potential impact
• Enable comprehensive logging on the web server and database to detect exploitation attempts
• Consider temporarily disabling the vulnerable endpoint if business requirements permit

Patch Information

No official patch information is currently available from the vendor. Organizations should monitor the IT Source Code website for security updates. In the absence of an official patch, implementing the workarounds below is strongly recommended.

Additional vulnerability details can be found at VulDB CTIID #341770 and the original VulDB Submission #736477.

Workarounds

• Implement input validation to ensure the ID parameter accepts only numeric values
• Use parameterized queries or prepared statements for all database interactions
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with SQL injection detection rules
• Apply principle of least privilege to database accounts used by the application
• Consider network segmentation to limit exposure of the vulnerable system

The recommended approach is to modify the vulnerable code to use parameterized queries. Ensure all user input is validated against expected patterns, and consider implementing an allowlist approach for the ID parameter that only permits integer values.