CVE-2026-2195: Online Reviewer System SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2026-2195 Overview

A SQL injection vulnerability has been discovered in code-projects Online Reviewer System version 1.0. This vulnerability affects code within the file /system/system/admins/assessments/pretest/questions-view.php, where improper handling of the ID parameter allows attackers to inject malicious SQL queries. The attack can be executed remotely without authentication, and the exploit has been publicly disclosed.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this SQL injection flaw to extract, modify, or delete data from the underlying database, potentially compromising the entire assessment and review system.

Affected Products

• Fabian Online Reviewer System 1.0
• code-projects Online Reviewer System 1.0

Discovery Timeline

• February 9, 2026 - CVE-2026-2195 published to NVD
• February 10, 2026 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-2195

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation in the Online Reviewer System's question viewing functionality. The questions-view.php file within the administrative assessments module fails to properly sanitize the ID parameter before incorporating it into database queries. This allows an attacker to manipulate the parameter value to inject arbitrary SQL commands that are then executed by the database server.

The vulnerability is classified under CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command) and CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component). These classifications indicate that user-supplied input is being passed directly to SQL queries without proper escaping or parameterization.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the lack of proper input sanitization and parameterized query implementation in the questions-view.php file. When the application receives the ID parameter through HTTP requests, it directly concatenates this value into SQL queries instead of using prepared statements or properly escaping special characters. This design flaw enables attackers to break out of the intended query structure and execute arbitrary SQL commands.

Attack Vector

The attack can be conducted remotely over the network without requiring any authentication or user interaction. An attacker targets the /system/system/admins/assessments/pretest/questions-view.php endpoint and manipulates the ID parameter in HTTP requests to inject SQL payloads.

A typical exploitation scenario involves crafting requests with SQL injection payloads appended to or replacing the legitimate ID value. These payloads can include UNION-based injections to extract data from other tables, boolean-based blind injections to infer database contents character by character, or time-based injections using database sleep functions. Successful exploitation can lead to unauthorized data access, data manipulation, and potentially full database compromise. For technical details, see the GitHub Issue Discussion on CVE and the VulDB CVE Analysis.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-2195

Indicators of Compromise

• HTTP requests to /system/system/admins/assessments/pretest/questions-view.php containing SQL injection patterns in the ID parameter
• Database query logs showing malformed or suspicious SQL statements with injection characters such as single quotes, UNION keywords, or comment sequences
• Unusual database errors or responses indicating query manipulation attempts
• Unexpected data access patterns or bulk data extraction from the assessment database

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns targeting the questions-view.php endpoint
• Configure intrusion detection systems to alert on HTTP requests containing common SQL injection payloads in query parameters
• Enable detailed database query logging and monitor for anomalous query structures or unexpected UNION statements
• Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions like SentinelOne to monitor for post-exploitation activities

Monitoring Recommendations

• Set up real-time alerting for requests to the vulnerable endpoint that contain suspicious characters or SQL keywords
• Monitor database audit logs for queries that deviate from expected patterns in the questions-view functionality
• Implement rate limiting on the affected endpoint to slow down automated exploitation attempts
• Review web server access logs regularly for evidence of reconnaissance or exploitation activity

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-2195

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict access to the /system/system/admins/assessments/pretest/questions-view.php endpoint until a patch is applied
• Implement input validation on the ID parameter to accept only numeric values
• Deploy WAF rules specifically targeting SQL injection attempts on the vulnerable parameter
• Review and audit database access logs for signs of prior exploitation

Patch Information

At the time of this publication, no official vendor patch has been released for this vulnerability. Organizations using Fabian Online Reviewer System 1.0 should monitor the Code Projects Security Resources for updates. Additional technical analysis is available from VulDB Entry #344898.

Workarounds

• Implement server-side input validation to ensure the ID parameter contains only expected numeric values before processing
• Use a Web Application Firewall to filter requests containing SQL injection payloads targeting the vulnerable endpoint
• Restrict network access to the administrative assessment modules to trusted IP addresses only
• Consider temporarily disabling the affected functionality until proper remediation can be implemented

# Example Apache .htaccess configuration to restrict access
<Files "questions-view.php">
    Order deny,allow
    Deny from all
    Allow from 192.168.1.0/24
    Allow from 10.0.0.0/8
</Files>