CVE-2026-13525: CodeAstro HRMS SQL Injection Vulnerability

CVE-2026-13525 Overview

CVE-2026-13525 is a SQL injection vulnerability in CodeAstro Human Resource Management System 1.0. The flaw resides in the emselectByCode function within application/models/Employee_model.php, part of the Update_Earn_Leave endpoint. Attackers can manipulate the emid parameter to inject arbitrary SQL statements. The vulnerability is exploitable remotely over the network and requires low-privilege authentication. Public proof-of-concept code demonstrating time-based blind SQL injection is available on GitHub. The weakness is categorized under [CWE-74] (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component).

Critical Impact
Authenticated remote attackers can extract, modify, or delete database contents by injecting SQL through the emid parameter of the Update_Earn_Leave endpoint.

Affected Products

CodeAstro Human Resource Management System 1.0
Component: Update_Earn_Leave endpoint
File: application/models/Employee_model.php

Discovery Timeline

2026-06-29 - CVE-2026-13525 published to NVD
2026-06-29 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-13525

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability affects the emselectByCode function in application/models/Employee_model.php of CodeAstro Human Resource Management System 1.0. The Update_Earn_Leave endpoint passes the emid request parameter into a database query without sufficient sanitization or parameterization. An authenticated attacker can supply crafted input containing SQL syntax that alters the intended query logic. Public analysis on GitHub demonstrates a time-based blind SQL injection technique, where boolean conditions and time-delay functions such as SLEEP() reveal database contents through response timing. The issue falls under [CWE-74], covering improper neutralization of special elements in downstream components.

Root Cause

The root cause is concatenation of untrusted user input into a SQL statement inside emselectByCode. The application does not use prepared statements or parameter binding for the emid value. Any attacker with valid low-privilege credentials to the HRMS application can influence the query structure.

Attack Vector

Exploitation occurs over the network against the Update_Earn_Leave endpoint. The attacker sends HTTP requests containing a malicious emid parameter value. No user interaction is required beyond the attacker's own authenticated session. A working proof-of-concept is published at the GitHub PoC for Time-Based SQL Injection.

No verified exploit code is reproduced here. Refer to the linked proof-of-concept repository and the VulDB CVE-2026-13525 Entry for technical demonstration of the time-based blind injection technique against the emid parameter.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-13525

Indicators of Compromise

HTTP requests to the Update_Earn_Leave endpoint containing SQL keywords such as SLEEP, BENCHMARK, UNION, or SELECT in the emid parameter.
Unusually long database query response times correlating with requests to Employee_model.php functions.
Repeated authenticated requests from a single session iterating character-by-character values in the emid parameter, consistent with blind extraction.

Detection Strategies

Enable database query logging and alert on statements originating from emselectByCode that contain time-delay functions or stacked conditions.
Deploy web application firewall (WAF) signatures targeting SQL injection patterns in the emid request parameter.
Baseline normal response times for the Update_Earn_Leave endpoint and alert on statistical outliers indicating time-based inference attacks.

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward web server access logs and database audit logs to a centralized logging platform for correlation.
Monitor authenticated user sessions for anomalous request volume to Update_Earn_Leave.
Track failed and successful authentication events preceding suspicious query patterns to identify compromised low-privilege accounts.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-13525

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict network access to the CodeAstro HRMS application to trusted users and networks until a fix is applied.
Audit application accounts and disable unused or shared low-privilege credentials that could be leveraged for exploitation.
Review database and web server logs for signs of prior exploitation targeting the emid parameter.

Patch Information

No official vendor patch has been published in the referenced advisories at the time of NVD publication. Consult the CodeAstro Security Resources page and the VulDB Vulnerability #374533 entry for updated remediation guidance.

Workarounds

Modify emselectByCode in application/models/Employee_model.php to use parameterized queries or CodeIgniter query bindings instead of string concatenation for the emid value.
Add server-side input validation restricting emid to expected numeric or alphanumeric formats before the value reaches the model layer.
Deploy WAF rules that block SQL metacharacters and time-delay function names in requests to the Update_Earn_Leave endpoint.
Apply least-privilege database account permissions so the HRMS application cannot read or modify data beyond what its role requires.

bash

# Example CodeIgniter query binding pattern for emselectByCode
# Replace vulnerable concatenation with parameter binding:
#   $query = $this->db->query("SELECT * FROM employees WHERE emid = ?", array($emid));