CVE-2026-3723: Flight Ticket Booking System SQLi Flaw

CVE-2026-3723 Overview

A SQL Injection vulnerability has been discovered in code-projects Simple Flight Ticket Booking System 1.0. This security flaw affects the /Admindelete.php file, where improper handling of the flightno parameter allows attackers to inject malicious SQL commands. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable and exploit information has been publicly disclosed, increasing the risk of active exploitation against unpatched systems.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can manipulate the flightno parameter to execute arbitrary SQL commands, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, data modification, or complete database compromise.

Affected Products

• Carmelo Simple Flight Ticket Booking System 1.0

Discovery Timeline

• March 8, 2026 - CVE-2026-3723 published to NVD
• March 9, 2026 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-3723

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL Injection vulnerability (CWE-89) exists in the administrative deletion functionality of the Simple Flight Ticket Booking System. The vulnerable endpoint /Admindelete.php fails to properly sanitize or parameterize the flightno argument before incorporating it into database queries. This allows attackers to craft malicious input that breaks out of the intended SQL query structure and executes arbitrary database commands.

The flaw is classified under both CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component) and CWE-89 (SQL Injection), indicating that the application does not adequately neutralize special characters before using them in SQL statements.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the failure to implement proper input validation and parameterized queries in the /Admindelete.php file. When the flightno parameter is received from user input, it is directly concatenated into SQL statements without sanitization, escaping, or the use of prepared statements. This allows attacker-controlled data to be interpreted as SQL code rather than data.

Attack Vector

The attack can be performed remotely over the network without requiring authentication. An attacker can craft HTTP requests to the /Admindelete.php endpoint with malicious SQL payloads in the flightno parameter. Successful exploitation could allow the attacker to:

• Extract sensitive data from the database including user credentials and booking information
• Modify or delete flight records and booking data
• Potentially escalate privileges within the application
• In some configurations, execute operating system commands through database functions

The vulnerability requires no user interaction and can be exploited by sending specially crafted HTTP requests directly to the vulnerable endpoint. Additional technical details can be found in the GitHub CVE Issue #6 and the VulDB advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-3723

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual SQL syntax patterns in web server access logs for /Admindelete.php
• Error messages in application logs indicating SQL syntax errors or database exceptions
• Unexpected database queries or modifications in database audit logs
• HTTP requests containing SQL keywords (UNION, SELECT, DROP, INSERT) in the flightno parameter

Detection Strategies

• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns targeting the flightno parameter
• Monitor web server logs for requests to /Admindelete.php with suspicious parameter values containing SQL metacharacters
• Implement database activity monitoring to detect anomalous query patterns or unauthorized data access
• Configure intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for common SQL injection attack patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for the /Admindelete.php endpoint and all administrative functions
• Monitor for database errors that may indicate injection attempts, such as syntax errors or unexpected query results
• Establish baseline metrics for normal database activity and alert on deviations
• Review access logs regularly for patterns indicating automated scanning or exploitation attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-3723

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict network access to the /Admindelete.php endpoint to trusted IP addresses only
• Implement Web Application Firewall rules to filter requests containing SQL injection patterns
• Review and audit all administrative functions in the application for similar vulnerabilities
• Consider taking the application offline if it processes sensitive data until a patch is applied

Patch Information

No official patch has been released by the vendor at this time. Organizations using this software should monitor the code-projects website for security updates. In the absence of an official patch, implementing the workarounds below is strongly recommended. Additional vulnerability tracking information is available at VulDB CTI #349699.

Workarounds

• Implement input validation to reject any flightno values containing SQL metacharacters such as single quotes, semicolons, and comment sequences
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with SQL injection protection enabled for the affected endpoint
• Use parameterized queries or prepared statements if modifying the application code is possible
• Restrict access to administrative endpoints through network segmentation or authentication controls
• Consider implementing database user permissions with least privilege principles to limit the impact of successful exploitation

# Example Apache mod_rewrite configuration to block common SQL injection patterns
# Add to .htaccess or Apache configuration file
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} [^a-zA-Z0-9_-] [NC]
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} (union|select|insert|drop|delete|update|concat|char|benchmark) [NC,OR]
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} ('|"|;|--) [NC]
RewriteRule ^Admindelete\.php$ - [F,L]