CVE-2026-3745: Student Web Portal SQL Injection Flaw

CVE-2026-3745 Overview

CVE-2026-3745 is a SQL injection vulnerability in code-projects Student Web Portal 1.0, developed by Carmelo. The flaw exists in the profile.php file, where the User parameter is passed to a database query without proper sanitization. An authenticated remote attacker can manipulate this parameter to inject arbitrary SQL statements. The exploit details have been disclosed publicly, increasing the likelihood of opportunistic abuse against exposed instances. The vulnerability is tracked under [CWE-89] (SQL Injection) and [CWE-74] (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output).

Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers can inject SQL through the User parameter in profile.php, leading to unauthorized read and modification of database records.

Affected Products

Carmelo Student Web Portal 1.0
CPE: cpe:2.3:a:carmelo:student_web_portal:1.0
Component: profile.php

Discovery Timeline

2026-03-08 - CVE-2026-3745 published to NVD
2026-04-29 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-3745

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the profile.php script of the Student Web Portal application. The script accepts a User argument from client input and incorporates it into a SQL query without parameterization or escaping. An attacker with low-privilege access to the portal can submit crafted input that breaks out of the intended query context. The injected SQL then executes against the backend database with the privileges of the application's database account.

Public disclosure of the exploit technique lowers the barrier for attackers seeking to weaponize this flaw. Successful exploitation can expose stored credentials, personally identifiable information, and academic records. Depending on database privileges, an attacker may also modify or delete records.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper neutralization of special characters in the User parameter before it reaches the SQL interpreter. The application concatenates user-controlled input directly into a SQL string rather than using prepared statements with bound parameters. This pattern matches the classic [CWE-89] anti-pattern.

Attack Vector

The attack is delivered over the network against the profile.php endpoint. The attacker must hold valid low-privilege credentials to reach the vulnerable code path. Once authenticated, the attacker supplies a malicious payload through the User argument. The vulnerability mechanism is described in the public GitHub CVE Report and tracked in VulDB #349723.

No verified code examples are available. See the linked advisory for proof-of-concept details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-3745

Indicators of Compromise

HTTP requests to profile.php containing SQL metacharacters such as single quotes, UNION, SELECT, --, or /* in the User parameter
Web server access logs showing unusually long or encoded values in the User query string parameter
Database error messages referencing syntax errors triggered from profile.php requests
Unexpected outbound data flows from the database server following requests to the portal

Detection Strategies

Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) rule that inspects requests to profile.php for SQL injection signatures targeting the User parameter
Enable database query logging and alert on anomalous query patterns such as boolean-based or time-based SQL injection payloads
Correlate authenticated session activity with sudden spikes in database row reads or schema enumeration attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward web server, application, and database logs to a centralized analytics platform for correlation
Baseline normal query volumes for profile.php and alert on deviations
Track failed login attempts followed by successful logins to detect credential stuffing that precedes exploitation

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-3745

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict access to the Student Web Portal to trusted networks until a patch is available
Audit application logs for prior exploitation attempts against profile.php
Rotate database credentials and review database user privileges to enforce least privilege
Review and reset user account passwords if compromise is suspected

Patch Information

No vendor patch is currently listed in the NVD references for CVE-2026-3745. Administrators should monitor the Code Projects Security Resources page and the GitHub CVE Repository for updates. Until a fix is published, apply the workarounds below.

Workarounds

Modify profile.php to use parameterized queries or prepared statements via PDO or MySQLi with bound parameters
Apply server-side input validation that rejects non-alphanumeric characters in the User parameter where appropriate
Deploy WAF rules that block common SQL injection payloads at the perimeter
Disable or remove the affected functionality if it is not required for operations

bash

# Example WAF rule concept (ModSecurity) to block SQLi on profile.php User parameter
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains /profile.php" \
    "chain,deny,status:403,id:1003745,msg:'CVE-2026-3745 SQLi attempt on User parameter'"
    SecRule ARGS:User "@detectSQLi" "t:none,t:urlDecodeUni"