CVE-2026-5334: Online Enrollment System SQL Injection

CVE-2026-5334 Overview

A SQL Injection vulnerability has been identified in itsourcecode Online Enrollment System 1.0. The vulnerability affects the Parameter Handler component within the file /enrollment/index.php?view=edit&id=3. An attacker can manipulate the deptid argument to perform SQL injection attacks. This vulnerability can be exploited remotely without authentication, and exploit details have been made publicly available.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this SQL Injection vulnerability to potentially access, modify, or delete sensitive database information including student enrollment records, personal data, and system credentials.

Affected Products

• itsourcecode Online Enrollment System 1.0

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-04-02 - CVE CVE-2026-5334 published to NVD
• 2026-04-02 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-5334

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component), which encompasses injection vulnerabilities where user-supplied input is not properly sanitized before being incorporated into commands or queries.

The vulnerable endpoint /enrollment/index.php accepts a deptid parameter when the view=edit action is requested. The application fails to properly sanitize or parameterize this input before incorporating it into SQL queries, allowing attackers to inject malicious SQL code that will be executed by the database server.

The network-accessible nature of web applications makes this vulnerability particularly concerning, as it can be exploited by any attacker with network access to the enrollment system without requiring prior authentication.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper input validation and lack of parameterized queries in the Parameter Handler component. The deptid argument is directly incorporated into SQL queries without proper sanitization, escaping, or the use of prepared statements. This is a common vulnerability pattern in PHP applications that use direct string concatenation to build SQL queries rather than using PDO prepared statements or mysqli parameterized queries.

Attack Vector

The attack is carried out remotely over the network by sending crafted HTTP requests to the vulnerable endpoint. An attacker can manipulate the deptid parameter in requests to /enrollment/index.php?view=edit&id=3 to inject arbitrary SQL commands.

The exploitation typically involves appending SQL syntax to the deptid parameter value. Common attack payloads include UNION-based injection to extract data from other tables, boolean-based blind injection to enumerate database contents, or time-based blind injection when direct output is not visible.

Since exploit information has been made publicly available, organizations running this software should consider themselves at elevated risk. Technical details regarding this vulnerability can be found in the GitHub Issue Discussion and the VulDB Vulnerability entry #354668.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-5334

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual SQL error messages in web server logs originating from /enrollment/index.php
• HTTP requests containing SQL keywords (UNION, SELECT, DROP, INSERT, --, 'OR') in the deptid parameter
• Anomalous database queries or unexpected data access patterns in database audit logs
• Web application firewall alerts for SQL injection patterns targeting enrollment system endpoints

Detection Strategies

• Deploy web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in the deptid parameter
• Implement database activity monitoring to identify anomalous query patterns or unauthorized data access
• Enable verbose logging on the web server to capture all requests to /enrollment/index.php with parameter details
• Utilize intrusion detection systems (IDS) with SQL injection signature rules

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor web server access logs for requests containing suspicious characters in URL parameters (single quotes, semicolons, comment sequences)
• Set up alerts for database errors that may indicate injection attempts
• Review database query logs for unusual statements or queries accessing sensitive tables
• Implement real-time monitoring of authentication and enrollment data access patterns

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-5334

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict network access to the Online Enrollment System to trusted IP ranges or internal networks only
• Implement a web application firewall with SQL injection protection rules in front of the application
• Disable the edit functionality (view=edit) if not critical to operations until a patch is available
• Review database user permissions to limit potential damage from successful exploitation

Patch Information

No official vendor patch has been identified for this vulnerability at the time of publication. The IT Source Code website should be monitored for security updates. Organizations using this software should consider implementing manual code fixes to parameterize the vulnerable query or replacing the affected component.

For additional technical details and community discussion regarding this vulnerability, refer to the VulDB Submission #781119 and VulDB CTI information.

Workarounds

• Implement input validation at the application level to reject any deptid values containing non-numeric characters
• Use a reverse proxy or WAF to sanitize incoming requests and block SQL injection patterns
• Consider deploying the application behind a VPN to reduce the attack surface
• As a temporary measure, modify the source code to use prepared statements with parameterized queries for all database interactions involving the deptid parameter

# Example WAF rule configuration (ModSecurity)
# Add to modsecurity.conf to block SQL injection attempts

SecRule ARGS:deptid "@detectSQLi" \
    "id:1001,\
    phase:2,\
    deny,\
    status:403,\
    log,\
    msg:'SQL Injection attempt detected in deptid parameter',\
    severity:CRITICAL"