CVE-2026-30530: Online Food Ordering System SQLi Flaw

CVE-2026-30530 Overview

A SQL Injection vulnerability has been identified in SourceCodester Online Food Ordering System v1.0. The vulnerability exists in the Actions.php file, specifically within the save_customer action. The application fails to properly sanitize user input supplied to the username parameter, allowing attackers to inject malicious SQL commands. This flaw enables unauthorized database access, data manipulation, and potential full system compromise through crafted SQL queries.

Critical Impact

This SQL Injection vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands against the backend database, potentially leading to complete data exfiltration, modification, or deletion of sensitive customer and order information.

Affected Products

• SourceCodester Online Food Ordering System v1.0
• oretnom23 online_food_ordering_system 1.0

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-27 - CVE CVE-2026-30530 published to NVD
• 2026-03-30 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-30530

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL Injection vulnerability is classified under CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command). The vulnerable endpoint accepts user-controlled input through the username parameter in the save_customer action within Actions.php. Due to insufficient input validation and the lack of parameterized queries, an attacker can manipulate the SQL query structure by injecting malicious SQL syntax.

The vulnerability is exploitable over the network without requiring authentication or user interaction, making it particularly dangerous for publicly accessible deployments. Successful exploitation could allow attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms, extract sensitive data including customer credentials and order history, modify or delete database records, and potentially achieve remote code execution depending on the database configuration and privileges.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the direct concatenation of user-supplied input into SQL queries without proper sanitization or the use of prepared statements. The Actions.php file processes the username parameter from user requests and incorporates it directly into database queries, creating an injection point that attackers can exploit to manipulate query logic.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, targeting the web application's customer registration or update functionality. An attacker can craft malicious HTTP requests containing SQL injection payloads in the username parameter sent to the Actions.php endpoint with the save_customer action. The injected SQL commands are then executed by the database server with the privileges of the application's database user.

The vulnerability can be exploited through standard HTTP POST requests to the vulnerable endpoint. Attackers may leverage techniques such as UNION-based injection to extract data, boolean-based blind injection to infer database contents, or time-based blind injection when direct output is not available. For detailed technical information about this vulnerability, refer to the GitHub PoC documentation.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-30530

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual database queries in application logs containing SQL keywords like UNION, SELECT, DROP, or comment sequences (--, /**/)
• Unexpected authentication events or database access patterns in server logs
• HTTP requests to Actions.php containing special characters or SQL syntax in the username parameter
• Database error messages appearing in application responses or logs

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in HTTP parameters
• Deploy database activity monitoring to identify anomalous query patterns or unauthorized data access
• Configure application logging to capture and alert on requests containing common SQL injection signatures
• Utilize intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for SQL injection attack patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor web server access logs for requests to Actions.php with suspicious username parameter values
• Enable database audit logging to track all queries executed against sensitive tables
• Set up alerts for failed authentication attempts or database errors that may indicate exploitation attempts
• Review application error logs for SQL syntax errors that could indicate injection testing

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-30530

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict access to the Online Food Ordering System until patches or mitigations are applied
• Implement input validation to reject special characters and SQL keywords in the username parameter
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with SQL injection protection rules in front of the application
• Review database user privileges and apply the principle of least privilege to limit potential damage from exploitation

Patch Information

No official vendor patch has been released at this time. Organizations using SourceCodester Online Food Ordering System v1.0 should implement the recommended workarounds and monitor for updates from the developer. For technical details about the vulnerability, see the GitHub PoC repository.

Workarounds

• Modify Actions.php to use prepared statements (parameterized queries) for all database operations involving user input
• Implement server-side input validation to whitelist allowed characters in the username field
• Deploy network-level access controls to limit exposure of the vulnerable application to trusted networks only
• Consider taking the application offline until proper code remediation can be implemented

# Example: Apache mod_security rule to block basic SQL injection attempts
# Add to your Apache configuration or .htaccess file
SecRule ARGS:username "@detectSQLi" "id:1001,deny,status:403,msg:'SQL Injection Blocked'"

# Example: Restrict access to Actions.php by IP (adjust IPs as needed)
<Files "Actions.php">
    Require ip 192.168.1.0/24
</Files>