CVE-2026-3413: University Management System SQLi Flaw

CVE-2026-3413 Overview

A SQL injection vulnerability has been discovered in itsourcecode University Management System 1.0. This vulnerability affects the file /admin_single_student.php through improper handling of the ID parameter. An attacker can manipulate this parameter to inject arbitrary SQL commands, potentially compromising the integrity and confidentiality of the database. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable and a proof-of-concept exploit has been publicly disclosed.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this SQL injection vulnerability to access, modify, or delete sensitive student and administrative data in the University Management System database without authentication.

Affected Products

• Angeljudesuarez University Management System 1.0

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-02 - CVE-2026-3413 published to NVD
• 2026-03-03 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-3413

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL injection vulnerability (CWE-89) exists in the /admin_single_student.php file of the University Management System. The application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input passed through the ID parameter before incorporating it into SQL queries. This allows an attacker to inject malicious SQL statements that are then executed by the database engine.

The vulnerability is classified under both CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component) and CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command), indicating a fundamental input validation failure. The attack can be launched remotely over the network without requiring any authentication or user interaction.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper input validation and lack of parameterized queries in the /admin_single_student.php file. The application directly concatenates user-supplied input from the ID parameter into SQL queries without proper sanitization or the use of prepared statements. This allows special SQL characters and commands to be interpreted as part of the query rather than as data.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, allowing remote exploitation. An attacker can craft malicious HTTP requests to the /admin_single_student.php endpoint with a specially crafted ID parameter containing SQL injection payloads. The vulnerability requires no prior authentication, making it accessible to any remote attacker who can reach the application.

The exploitation technique involves injecting SQL syntax through the ID parameter. Common attack patterns include UNION-based injection to extract data from other tables, boolean-based blind injection for data exfiltration when results are not directly visible, and time-based blind injection using database sleep functions. For technical details regarding the exploitation methodology, refer to the GitHub Vulnerability Research Issue.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-3413

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual database queries or errors in application logs related to /admin_single_student.php
• HTTP requests to /admin_single_student.php containing SQL syntax characters such as single quotes, UNION statements, or comment sequences in the ID parameter
• Unexpected database access patterns or data exfiltration from student-related tables
• Web server logs showing malformed ID parameter values with encoded or obfuscated SQL payloads

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in the ID parameter
• Monitor database query logs for anomalous queries originating from the admin student page
• Deploy intrusion detection signatures for common SQL injection payloads targeting PHP applications
• Enable verbose logging on the web server to capture full request URIs and parameter values

Monitoring Recommendations

• Set up real-time alerting for SQL error messages in application logs
• Monitor for unusual data access patterns in student information tables
• Implement rate limiting on the /admin_single_student.php endpoint to slow automated exploitation attempts
• Review access logs regularly for suspicious patterns targeting administrative endpoints

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-3413

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict access to the /admin_single_student.php file by implementing IP-based access controls or taking the page offline temporarily
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall with SQL injection protection rules
• Review and audit all user inputs in the University Management System for similar vulnerabilities
• Consider isolating the application from production networks until a patch is applied

Patch Information

No official patch information is currently available from the vendor. Organizations using this software should monitor the IT Source Code Blog for updates. Additional vulnerability details and tracking information can be found at VulDB #348308.

Workarounds

• Implement prepared statements or parameterized queries in the /admin_single_student.php file to prevent SQL injection
• Add input validation to ensure the ID parameter only accepts numeric values
• Deploy a reverse proxy or WAF to filter malicious requests before they reach the application
• Implement the principle of least privilege for the database user account used by the application

# Example .htaccess configuration to restrict access to vulnerable file
<Files "admin_single_student.php">
    Order Deny,Allow
    Deny from all
    Allow from 192.168.1.0/24
</Files>