CVE-2026-4844: Online Food Ordering System SQLi Flaw

CVE-2026-4844 Overview

A SQL injection vulnerability has been identified in the code-projects Online Food Ordering System version 1.0. This vulnerability affects the /admin.php file within the Admin Login Module, where manipulation of the Username argument enables SQL injection attacks. The vulnerability can be exploited remotely without authentication, potentially allowing attackers to bypass authentication, extract sensitive data, or manipulate database contents.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this SQL injection vulnerability to compromise the admin login mechanism, potentially gaining unauthorized access to the application's administrative functions and backend database.

Affected Products

• code-projects Online Food Ordering System 1.0
• Admin Login Module (/admin.php)

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-26 - CVE-2026-4844 published to NVD
• 2026-03-26 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-4844

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL injection vulnerability (CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component) exists in the Admin Login Module of the Online Food Ordering System. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation on the Username parameter within the /admin.php file. When processing login requests, the application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before incorporating it into SQL queries, creating an injection point that attackers can exploit.

The network-accessible nature of this vulnerability allows remote exploitation without requiring authentication or user interaction. An attacker can craft malicious SQL statements within the Username field to manipulate the underlying database queries, potentially leading to authentication bypass, data exfiltration, or database manipulation.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2026-4844 is improper input validation and the absence of parameterized queries in the Admin Login Module. The application directly concatenates user input from the Username field into SQL queries without proper sanitization or use of prepared statements. This classic SQL injection pattern allows attackers to inject arbitrary SQL code that gets executed by the database server.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability is network-based, targeting the /admin.php endpoint. An attacker can remotely access the admin login page and submit specially crafted input in the Username field. The malicious payload travels through the application's login processing logic, where the unsanitized input is incorporated into a SQL query. Common exploitation techniques include:

The attacker can submit payloads such as ' OR '1'='1' -- or similar SQL injection strings in the Username field to manipulate query logic. This can result in authentication bypass, allowing unauthorized administrative access. More sophisticated attacks could extract database contents or modify data through UNION-based or time-based blind SQL injection techniques. Public exploit code has been disclosed and is available through a GitHub Gist.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-4844

Indicators of Compromise

• Suspicious login attempts to /admin.php containing SQL metacharacters (single quotes, double dashes, UNION statements)
• Database error messages exposed in HTTP responses indicating SQL syntax errors
• Unusual database query patterns in application or database logs
• Successful admin logins from unexpected IP addresses or geographic locations

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in login requests
• Monitor HTTP request logs for /admin.php containing common SQL injection payloads
• Enable database query logging and alert on unusual query structures or syntax errors
• Deploy intrusion detection systems (IDS) with SQL injection signature detection

Monitoring Recommendations

• Audit all authentication attempts to the admin portal and correlate with expected user behavior
• Set up real-time alerting for multiple failed login attempts with special characters
• Monitor database access logs for unauthorized data extraction or modification activities
• Review web server logs for exploitation attempts targeting the vulnerable endpoint

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-4844

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict access to the /admin.php endpoint through IP whitelisting or VPN requirements
• Implement input validation to reject login attempts containing SQL metacharacters
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall with SQL injection protection enabled
• Consider taking the admin login module offline until a patch is applied

Patch Information

No official vendor patch has been identified for this vulnerability at this time. The affected product is from code-projects, and administrators should monitor the Code Projects Resource Hub for updates. Additional vulnerability details are available through VulDB #353149.

Given the public availability of exploit code, organizations using this software should prioritize implementing mitigations or consider alternative solutions until an official patch is released.

Workarounds

• Implement parameterized queries or prepared statements in the login module's source code if custom modifications are possible
• Use a WAF to filter and block requests containing SQL injection payloads
• Add server-side input validation to sanitize the Username parameter before database queries
• Restrict network access to the admin panel using firewall rules or authentication proxies

# Example: Restrict admin.php access via Apache .htaccess
<Files "admin.php">
    Order deny,allow
    Deny from all
    Allow from 192.168.1.0/24
    Allow from 10.0.0.0/8
</Files>