CVE-2026-3406: Online Art Gallery Shop SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2026-3406 Overview

A SQL injection vulnerability has been identified in Projectworlds Online Art Gallery Shop version 1.0. The vulnerability exists within the Registration Handler component, specifically in the /admin/registration.php file. Improper sanitization of the fname parameter allows remote attackers to inject malicious SQL queries, potentially compromising the integrity and confidentiality of the application's database.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this SQL injection vulnerability without authentication to extract sensitive data, modify database contents, or potentially gain unauthorized access to the underlying system.

Affected Products

• Projectworlds Online Art Gallery Shop 1.0

Discovery Timeline

• March 2, 2026 - CVE-2026-3406 published to NVD
• March 3, 2026 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-3406

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL injection vulnerability (CWE-89) stems from improper neutralization of special characters used in SQL commands. The vulnerability is classified under the broader category of injection flaws (CWE-74). The affected Registration Handler in /admin/registration.php fails to properly validate or sanitize user-supplied input in the fname parameter before incorporating it into SQL queries.

The network-accessible nature of this vulnerability allows attackers to exploit it remotely without requiring prior authentication. When successfully exploited, an attacker can manipulate database queries to access unauthorized data, modify existing records, or potentially execute administrative operations on the database server.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper input validation in the /admin/registration.php file. The fname parameter is directly concatenated or interpolated into SQL queries without proper sanitization, parameterized queries, or prepared statements. This allows attackers to break out of the intended query structure and inject arbitrary SQL commands.

Attack Vector

The attack can be launched remotely over the network against the vulnerable registration endpoint. An attacker can craft malicious HTTP requests containing SQL injection payloads in the fname parameter. The exploit has been publicly disclosed, increasing the risk of exploitation in the wild.

The vulnerability allows attackers to inject SQL code through the fname parameter in the registration form. When the unsanitized input reaches the database query, the injected SQL commands are executed with the same privileges as the application's database user. This could enable attackers to perform UNION-based data extraction, boolean-based blind injection, or time-based blind injection techniques depending on the application's response behavior. For detailed technical analysis, refer to the GitHub Issue Report.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-3406

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual SQL error messages in application logs from the /admin/registration.php endpoint
• HTTP requests to /admin/registration.php containing SQL syntax characters in the fname parameter (e.g., single quotes, UNION statements, OR 1=1 patterns)
• Unexpected database queries or data access patterns originating from the web application
• Evidence of data exfiltration or unauthorized database modifications

Detection Strategies

• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in HTTP requests
• Implement application-level logging to capture all requests to the registration endpoint with parameter values
• Configure database query logging to identify anomalous or malicious SQL statements
• Use intrusion detection systems with signatures for common SQL injection attack patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor HTTP access logs for requests containing SQL metacharacters targeting /admin/registration.php
• Set up alerts for database errors or exceptions originating from the registration functionality
• Review database audit logs for unauthorized SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE operations
• Implement real-time monitoring for unusual database connection patterns or query volumes

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-3406

Immediate Actions Required

• Remove or restrict access to the /admin/registration.php endpoint until a patch is available
• Implement input validation to reject requests containing SQL metacharacters in the fname parameter
• Deploy WAF rules specifically targeting SQL injection attempts against the registration handler
• Review database permissions and restrict the application's database user to minimum required privileges

Patch Information

No official vendor patch has been released at this time. Organizations should monitor the vendor's official channels and the VulDB entry for updates regarding security fixes.

Workarounds

• Implement server-side input validation to sanitize all user-supplied input in the registration form
• Use prepared statements or parameterized queries if modifying the application source code is possible
• Restrict network access to the administrative registration functionality using IP whitelisting or VPN requirements
• Consider temporarily disabling the vulnerable registration feature until a permanent fix is available

# Example: Apache mod_security rule to block SQL injection attempts
SecRule ARGS:fname "@detectSQLi" \
    "id:1001,\
    phase:2,\
    deny,\
    status:403,\
    log,\
    msg:'SQL Injection attempt detected in fname parameter'"