CVE-2026-5578: Online Classroom 1.0 SQL Injection Flaw

CVE-2026-5578 Overview

A SQL Injection vulnerability has been identified in CodeAstro Online Classroom version 1.0. This vulnerability affects the /OnlineClassroom/addassessment.php file within the Parameter Handler component. By manipulating the deleteid argument, an attacker can perform SQL injection attacks remotely. The exploit has been made public, increasing the risk of exploitation against unpatched systems.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this SQL injection vulnerability to manipulate database queries, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, data modification, or complete database compromise.

Affected Products

• CodeAstro Online Classroom 1.0
• Systems running the vulnerable /OnlineClassroom/addassessment.php endpoint
• Web servers hosting CodeAstro Online Classroom with accessible Parameter Handler component

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-04-05 - CVE-2026-5578 published to NVD
• 2026-04-07 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-5578

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component), commonly known as Injection. The flaw exists in the addassessment.php file's handling of the deleteid parameter. When user-supplied input is passed to this parameter, it is not properly sanitized or validated before being incorporated into SQL queries. This allows attackers to inject arbitrary SQL commands that will be executed by the database engine.

The network-accessible nature of this vulnerability means attackers can exploit it remotely without requiring physical access to the target system. Low privileges are required to initiate the attack, making it accessible to authenticated users with minimal access rights.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability lies in insufficient input validation and improper handling of user-supplied data in the deleteid parameter. The application fails to implement parameterized queries or proper input sanitization, allowing special SQL characters and commands to be interpreted as part of the database query rather than as literal data values. This represents a classic SQL injection vulnerability pattern where user input is concatenated directly into SQL statements.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, allowing remote exploitation. An attacker can craft malicious HTTP requests targeting the /OnlineClassroom/addassessment.php endpoint with a specially crafted deleteid parameter. The malicious payload would contain SQL syntax designed to manipulate the intended query behavior.

A typical attack would involve sending a request where the deleteid parameter contains SQL injection payloads such as UNION-based attacks to extract data, boolean-based blind injection to enumerate database contents, or time-based blind injection techniques. Since the exploit has been made public, attackers have ready access to working exploitation techniques.

For detailed technical information about this vulnerability, refer to the GitHub CVE Issue Tracker and VulDB Vulnerability #355348.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-5578

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual SQL error messages appearing in web application logs from the addassessment.php endpoint
• HTTP requests to /OnlineClassroom/addassessment.php containing SQL keywords in the deleteid parameter (e.g., UNION, SELECT, OR, AND, --, ;)
• Database logs showing malformed or unexpected queries originating from the assessment functionality
• Evidence of database enumeration or unauthorized data extraction

Detection Strategies

• Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in the deleteid parameter
• Configure intrusion detection systems (IDS) to alert on requests containing common SQL injection payloads targeting the vulnerable endpoint
• Enable detailed logging for the /OnlineClassroom/addassessment.php file and monitor for anomalous parameter values
• Deploy database activity monitoring to identify unusual query patterns or unauthorized data access

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable comprehensive HTTP request logging with parameter capture for the affected endpoint
• Monitor database query logs for syntax errors or unusual query structures associated with the assessment functionality
• Set up alerts for multiple failed database operations that may indicate automated SQL injection attempts
• Review web server access logs regularly for requests containing encoded or obfuscated SQL injection payloads

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-5578

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict access to the /OnlineClassroom/addassessment.php endpoint until a patch is available
• Implement input validation to sanitize the deleteid parameter, allowing only numeric values
• Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) with SQL injection protection rules
• Review and audit database permissions to ensure the web application uses least-privilege database accounts

Patch Information

No official patch information has been released by the vendor at this time. System administrators should monitor CodeAstro Security Resource for official security updates. For additional vulnerability details and tracking, refer to VulDB Submission #783751 and the VulDB CTI for #355348.

Workarounds

• Implement server-side input validation to ensure the deleteid parameter only accepts integer values
• Use parameterized queries or prepared statements in the application code to prevent SQL injection
• Consider disabling or removing the affected functionality until an official patch is available
• Apply network-level access controls to restrict who can reach the vulnerable endpoint

# Configuration example
# Apache .htaccess rule to restrict access to the vulnerable endpoint
<Files "addassessment.php">
    # Require authentication or restrict by IP
    Require ip 10.0.0.0/8 192.168.0.0/16
    # Or deny all access until patched
    # Require all denied
</Files>

# ModSecurity WAF rule to block SQL injection in deleteid parameter
SecRule ARGS:deleteid "(?i)(\b(select|union|insert|update|delete|drop|exec|execute|xp_|sp_|0x)\b|--|;|'|\")" \
    "id:1001,phase:2,deny,status:403,msg:'SQL Injection Attempt in deleteid parameter'"