CVE-2026-44418: EcclesiaCRM SQL Injection Vulnerability

CVE-2026-44418 Overview

CVE-2026-44418 is a SQL injection vulnerability in EcclesiaCRM, an open-source customer relationship management application for church administration. The flaw affects versions 8.0.0 and earlier. The ValidateInput() function's default case in EcclesiaCRM's query view passes user-supplied POST parameters directly into SQL queries via str_replace without sanitization. Attackers can inject malicious SQL through query parameters that use non-standard validation types. The vulnerability stems from an incomplete fix for CVE-2026-35184. Authenticated users with low privileges can manipulate database queries to read, modify, or delete sensitive church and member data.

Critical Impact

Authenticated attackers can execute arbitrary SQL statements against the EcclesiaCRM database, compromising confidentiality, integrity, and availability of stored records.

Affected Products

• EcclesiaCRM version 8.0.0
• EcclesiaCRM versions earlier than 8.0.0
• EcclesiaCRM query view component using ValidateInput()

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-05-13 - CVE-2026-44418 published to NVD
• 2026-05-13 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-44418

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the ValidateInput() function within EcclesiaCRM's query view module. The function performs type-based validation on POST parameters supplied by users. When a parameter's validation type does not match any recognized case, control flows to the default branch. The default case passes the raw user input through PHP's str_replace function before concatenating it into a SQL query string. No parameterization, escaping, or whitelisting occurs in this path. This vulnerability is classified under [CWE-89] Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command.

An authenticated attacker can craft POST requests that supply parameters with arbitrary or non-standard validation types. The injected SQL executes with the database privileges of the EcclesiaCRM application user. Attackers can exfiltrate member records, modify financial contribution data, or pivot to broader compromise of the hosting environment.

Root Cause

The root cause is an incomplete remediation of CVE-2026-35184. The earlier patch addressed specific validation branches but left the default fall-through path unprotected. Reliance on str_replace for sanitization is unsafe because it cannot reliably neutralize SQL metacharacters across all encoding and quoting contexts. The query view trusts the validation framework to filter input, but the default case bypasses that trust boundary.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires network access to the EcclesiaCRM web interface and valid low-privilege credentials. The attacker submits a crafted POST request to the vulnerable query view endpoint. The request specifies a query parameter whose validation type is not handled by any explicit case in ValidateInput(). The malicious payload, embedded in the parameter value, is concatenated into the SQL statement and executed by the backend database. For technical details, see the GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-vmgq-gpf9-mjjj and the upstream commit.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-44418

Indicators of Compromise

• POST requests to EcclesiaCRM query view endpoints containing SQL keywords such as UNION, SELECT, SLEEP, or -- within parameter values
• Unexpected database errors or anomalously long query response times in EcclesiaCRM application logs
• Outbound database connections or large result sets returned to authenticated low-privilege accounts

Detection Strategies

• Inspect web server access logs for POST requests to query view URLs with unusual validation type parameters or oversized payloads
• Enable database query logging and alert on queries containing concatenated user-controlled fragments referencing system tables
• Deploy a web application firewall rule set that flags SQL injection signatures targeting EcclesiaCRM endpoints

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor authentication logs for low-privilege accounts performing query-heavy or atypical activity
• Track database user activity for schema enumeration patterns such as repeated information_schema lookups
• Correlate web request anomalies with database query spikes to identify exploitation attempts in real time

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-44418

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade EcclesiaCRM to a version that includes the fix referenced in commit f743b97f89da469a4c70b82bd61d0a59a3a957a9
• Restrict access to the EcclesiaCRM administrative interface to trusted networks until patching is complete
• Audit existing user accounts and revoke unused or excessive privileges

Patch Information

The maintainer published a fix in commit f743b97f89da469a4c70b82bd61d0a59a3a957a9. Administrators running version 8.0.0 or earlier should apply this commit or upgrade to the next tagged release. Full advisory details are available in the GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-vmgq-gpf9-mjjj.

Workarounds

• Place the EcclesiaCRM instance behind a web application firewall configured to block SQL injection payloads in POST bodies
• Restrict the database account used by EcclesiaCRM to the minimum privileges required, removing schema modification rights
• Temporarily disable the query view feature if it is not required for daily operations

# Configuration example: restrict EcclesiaCRM database user privileges
REVOKE ALL PRIVILEGES ON ecclesiacrm.* FROM 'ecclesiacrm_app'@'localhost';
GRANT SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE ON ecclesiacrm.* TO 'ecclesiacrm_app'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;