CVE-2026-3757: Online Art Gallery Shop SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2026-3757 Overview

A SQL injection vulnerability has been discovered in Projectworlds Online Art Gallery Shop version 1.0. This security flaw affects the file /?pass=1 where manipulation of the fnm argument allows attackers to inject malicious SQL queries. The vulnerability can be exploited remotely without authentication, potentially enabling unauthorized access to backend database systems, data exfiltration, and manipulation of application data.

Critical Impact
Remote attackers can exploit the SQL injection vulnerability to extract sensitive data, bypass authentication mechanisms, modify database contents, or potentially escalate to remote code execution on the underlying database server.

Affected Products

Projectworlds Online Art Gallery Shop 1.0

Discovery Timeline

2026-03-08 - CVE-2026-3757 published to NVD
2026-03-09 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-3757

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is a classic SQL injection (CWE-74: Injection) affecting the password recovery or authentication functionality in the Online Art Gallery Shop application. The vulnerable endpoint /?pass=1 accepts user-controllable input through the fnm parameter, which is not properly sanitized or parameterized before being incorporated into SQL queries.

The attack surface is network-accessible, meaning any remote attacker can target exposed instances of this application. No authentication or user interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability, making it particularly dangerous for internet-facing deployments.

When successfully exploited, attackers can achieve limited confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts on the vulnerable system. This includes the ability to read unauthorized data, modify database records, or potentially disrupt application availability through malicious queries.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper input validation and the absence of parameterized queries or prepared statements. The fnm parameter value is directly concatenated into SQL query strings without sanitization, allowing attackers to inject arbitrary SQL syntax that modifies the intended query logic.

This is a common coding error in PHP applications that directly embed user input into database queries using functions like mysql_query() or mysqli_query() without proper escaping or parameterization.

Attack Vector

The vulnerability is exploitable via network access through HTTP requests to the vulnerable endpoint. An attacker crafts a malicious HTTP request targeting the /?pass=1 endpoint with a specially crafted fnm parameter containing SQL injection payloads.

The attack flow involves sending a request with manipulated input such as single quotes, SQL comments, UNION statements, or boolean-based payloads to extract data or manipulate database operations. Since the exploit has been publicly disclosed, attackers can leverage readily available techniques to target vulnerable installations.

For detailed technical information about this vulnerability, refer to the GitHub Issue for Project World CVE and the VulDB entry #349735.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-3757

Indicators of Compromise

Suspicious HTTP requests to /?pass=1 containing SQL meta-characters such as single quotes, double dashes, or UNION keywords in the fnm parameter
Database error messages in application logs indicating malformed SQL queries
Unusual database query patterns or unexpected data access in database audit logs
Web access logs showing repeated requests to the vulnerable endpoint with varying parameter values

Detection Strategies

Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in the fnm parameter
Implement database activity monitoring to identify anomalous query execution patterns
Configure intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for common SQL injection payloads
Enable verbose logging for the application and monitor for SQL syntax errors or unexpected query behavior

Monitoring Recommendations

Monitor web server access logs for requests targeting /?pass=1 with suspicious parameter values
Set up alerts for database errors or exceptions that may indicate injection attempts
Review database audit logs for unauthorized data access or unexpected privilege usage
Implement real-time monitoring of application endpoints for injection attack patterns

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-3757

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict network access to the vulnerable application by implementing IP whitelisting or taking the application offline if not critical
Deploy a Web Application Firewall with SQL injection protection rules in front of the application
Audit access logs to determine if the vulnerability has been exploited and assess potential data exposure
Consider implementing network segmentation to isolate the vulnerable system from sensitive resources

Patch Information

No official vendor patch has been released for this vulnerability at the time of publication. The application is an open-source project from Projectworlds, and users should monitor the project repository and VulDB entry for updates.

Organizations using this software should prioritize implementing workarounds or consider migrating to alternative solutions until a patch becomes available.

Workarounds

Implement input validation on the fnm parameter to allow only expected characters and reject SQL meta-characters
Modify the application source code to use parameterized queries or prepared statements for all database operations
Deploy a reverse proxy or WAF configured to sanitize or block malicious SQL injection payloads
Restrict database user privileges to minimize the impact of successful SQL injection attacks
Consider disabling or removing the affected functionality if it is not essential to business operations

bash

# Example WAF rule for ModSecurity to block SQL injection on the vulnerable parameter
SecRule ARGS:fnm "@detectSQLi" \
    "id:1001,\
    phase:2,\
    deny,\
    status:403,\
    log,\
    msg:'SQL Injection attempt detected in fnm parameter',\
    tag:'CVE-2026-3757'"