CVE-2026-12131: CodeAstro HRMS SQL Injection Vulnerability

CVE-2026-12131 Overview

CVE-2026-12131 is a SQL injection vulnerability in CodeAstro Human Resource Management System 1.0. The flaw resides in the Invoice function of \application\controllers\Payroll.php within the Payroll Invoice Module. Attackers manipulate the ID argument to inject arbitrary SQL into backend database queries. Remote exploitation is possible and a public proof-of-concept has been released. The weakness is classified under [CWE-74] (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component).

Critical Impact
Authenticated remote attackers can inject SQL statements through the Payroll Invoice ID parameter, exposing payroll and HR records stored in the application database.

Affected Products

CodeAstro Human Resource Management System 1.0
\application\controllers\Payroll.php — Invoice function
Payroll Invoice Module component

Discovery Timeline

2026-06-12 - CVE-2026-12131 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-12131

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability exists in the Payroll Invoice Module of CodeAstro Human Resource Management System 1.0. The Invoice function in \application\controllers\Payroll.php accepts an ID argument from the request and concatenates it into a SQL query without parameterization or sanitization. An attacker with low-privilege application access submits crafted input through the ID parameter to alter query logic. The exploit is reachable over the network and does not require user interaction. According to EPSS data published on 2026-06-18, the score is 0.25% at the 16.029 percentile.

Root Cause

The controller fails to neutralize special SQL characters supplied through the ID argument before passing the value into a backend database query. This maps to [CWE-74], where untrusted input is embedded in a downstream interpreter context. The absence of prepared statements or input validation allows attacker-controlled SQL fragments to execute within the application's database session.

Attack Vector

A remote attacker authenticates to the HRMS application with low privileges and issues a request to the Payroll Invoice endpoint. The attacker appends SQL metacharacters and payload clauses to the ID parameter. The crafted query alters the original statement to extract, modify, or enumerate data. A public proof-of-concept demonstrating the injection is available in the referenced GitHub repository.

No verified code examples are available for this CVE. Refer to the GitHub PoC for SQL Injection for technical details on payload structure.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-12131

Indicators of Compromise

Web server access logs showing requests to Payroll/Invoice with SQL metacharacters (', --, UNION, SELECT, SLEEP) in the ID parameter.
Database error responses or unusually long response times tied to Payroll Invoice requests, suggesting time-based or error-based injection.
Unexpected outbound queries or large SELECT operations against payroll and employee tables from the HRMS application user.

Detection Strategies

Deploy web application firewall rules that flag SQL syntax patterns in the ID query parameter on Payroll Invoice routes.
Enable database query auditing to capture full SQL text of statements originating from the HRMS application service account.
Correlate authenticated session activity with anomalous query volume against payroll tables to surface abuse by low-privilege accounts.

Monitoring Recommendations

Monitor HTTP request patterns to /application/controllers/Payroll.php for non-numeric values in the ID parameter.
Alert on database errors referencing syntax issues, unbalanced quotes, or UNION constructs from the HRMS backend.
Track failed and successful logins followed immediately by Payroll Invoice access to identify reconnaissance and exploitation chains.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-12131

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict network access to the CodeAstro HRMS application to trusted internal users until a vendor fix is verified.
Audit accounts with access to the Payroll module and disable inactive or unnecessary low-privilege accounts.
Review recent Payroll Invoice access logs and database query logs for evidence of injection attempts.

Patch Information

No vendor patch has been published in the referenced advisories at the time of NVD publication. Consult Code Astro Security Resources and the VulDB CVE-2026-12131 entry for updates on remediation availability.

Workarounds

Apply server-side input validation to enforce that the ID parameter contains only expected numeric values before reaching the controller.
Refactor the Invoice function in Payroll.php to use parameterized queries or the framework's query builder bindings instead of string concatenation.
Place a web application firewall in front of the HRMS application with rules blocking SQL metacharacters on Payroll routes.
Apply least privilege to the database account used by the HRMS application to limit the impact of successful injection.

bash

# Configuration example
# Example WAF rule (ModSecurity) blocking SQL metacharacters in the ID parameter
SecRule ARGS:ID "@rx [\'\";]|--|/\*|\bUNION\b|\bSELECT\b|\bSLEEP\b" \
    "id:1026121,phase:2,deny,status:403,log,\
    msg:'CVE-2026-12131: SQLi attempt against Payroll Invoice ID parameter'"