CVE-2026-14705: Online Examination 1.0 SQL Injection Flaw

CVE-2026-14705 Overview

CVE-2026-14705 is a SQL injection vulnerability in code-projects Online Examination 1.0. The flaw resides in the head.php file, where the uname and password parameters are passed directly into database queries without proper sanitization. Attackers can manipulate these arguments to alter query logic and access or modify backend data. The vulnerability is exploitable remotely over the network without authentication or user interaction. Public disclosure of the exploit technique has occurred, increasing the likelihood of opportunistic attacks against exposed installations. The weakness is classified under [CWE-74] as improper neutralization of special elements in output used by a downstream component (injection).

Critical Impact
Unauthenticated remote attackers can inject SQL statements through the login parameters in head.php, potentially exposing credentials and examination data stored in the backend database.

Affected Products

code-projects Online Examination 1.0
Deployments using the vulnerable head.php authentication component
Installations exposing the application to untrusted networks

Discovery Timeline

2026-07-05 - CVE-2026-14705 published to NVD
2026-07-06 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-14705

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a SQL injection flaw in the authentication logic of code-projects Online Examination 1.0. The head.php script accepts the uname and password HTTP parameters and concatenates them into a SQL query used for user validation. Because the values are not parameterized or sanitized, an attacker can inject SQL syntax that changes the meaning of the query. Successful exploitation can enable authentication bypass, credential enumeration, and unauthorized read or write access to database records. The attack requires no privileges and no user interaction, and it can be launched over the network against any exposed instance.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper neutralization of user-supplied input passed to a SQL statement [CWE-74]. The application constructs database queries via string concatenation of the uname and password parameters rather than using prepared statements or parameterized queries. Any special characters or SQL keywords supplied by the attacker are interpreted as part of the query.

Attack Vector

An unauthenticated attacker submits crafted values in the uname or password fields of a login request handled by head.php. Payloads containing SQL metacharacters such as single quotes, comment sequences, or UNION SELECT clauses can bypass the login check or exfiltrate data from other tables. Because the endpoint is reachable over the network, exploitation can be automated at scale.

See the GitHub CVE Project Documentation and the VulDB CVE-2026-14705 Listing for the disclosed proof-of-concept payloads and technical write-up.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-14705

Indicators of Compromise

HTTP POST or GET requests to head.php containing SQL metacharacters such as ', ", --, #, or UNION in the uname or password parameters.
Repeated failed login attempts followed by a successful authentication from the same source without matching credential resets.
Database error messages referencing syntax errors in queries originating from the Online Examination application.

Detection Strategies

Enable web server access logging and search for requests to head.php with suspicious parameter contents including OR 1=1, SLEEP(, or encoded quote characters.
Deploy a web application firewall with SQL injection signatures tuned for PHP login endpoints.
Monitor the backend database for anomalous query patterns, particularly authentication queries returning unusually large result sets.

Monitoring Recommendations

Alert on outbound connections from the application server to external hosts following anomalous login activity.
Track baseline authentication query volume and flag deviations that may indicate automated injection tooling.
Correlate WAF blocks against head.php with database error rates to identify probing campaigns.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-14705

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict network access to the Online Examination application using firewall rules or a reverse proxy that enforces authentication controls.
Deploy WAF rules that block SQL metacharacters and known injection payloads targeting the uname and password parameters.
Rotate any database credentials that may have been exposed and audit user account tables for unauthorized entries.

Patch Information

No official vendor patch has been referenced in the NVD entry for CVE-2026-14705. Administrators should monitor the Code Projects Resource Hub for updates and review the VulDB Vulnerability #376301 entry for tracking status. Until a fix is released, apply compensating controls and consider migrating to an alternative application where feasible.

Workarounds

Modify head.php to use PHP Data Objects (PDO) with prepared statements and bound parameters instead of string concatenation.
Enforce input validation that rejects non-alphanumeric characters in the uname field before the query is executed.
Restrict the database account used by the application to least privilege, removing rights to modify schema or read sensitive tables.

bash

# Example WAF rule (ModSecurity) to block SQL injection attempts on head.php
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@endsWith /head.php" \
    "phase:2,deny,status:403,id:1014705,\
    chain,msg:'Potential SQLi on Online Examination head.php'"
    SecRule ARGS:uname|ARGS:password "@rx (?i)(\bunion\b.*\bselect\b|--|#|';|\bor\b\s+1=1)"