CVE-2026-72599: e107 CMS SQL Injection Vulnerability

CVE-2026-72599 Overview

CVE-2026-72599 is an SQL injection vulnerability in e107 version 2.4.0, a PHP-based content management system. The flaw resides in the news item page, where the ID parameter is concatenated directly into a SQL WHERE clause without escaping or parameterization. Unauthenticated remote attackers can inject arbitrary SQL statements over the network. Successful exploitation allows attackers to read, modify, or delete any content in the backend database, including administrator credentials. The issue is tracked under CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command.

Critical Impact
Unauthenticated attackers can extract or destroy the entire e107 database, including admin credentials, enabling full site takeover.

Affected Products

e107 Content Management System (CMS) version 2.4.0
Deployments exposing the news item page ID parameter to unauthenticated users
Web servers hosting e107 2.4.0 with default routing enabled

Discovery Timeline

2026-08-11 - CVE-2026-72599 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2026-08-11 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-72599

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability affects the news item retrieval logic in e107 2.4.0. When a client requests a news item by ID, the application takes the ID parameter directly from the HTTP request and inserts it into a SQL WHERE clause. The parameter is never cast to an integer, escaped, or bound as a prepared statement placeholder.

An attacker supplies crafted SQL syntax in place of a numeric ID. The database engine parses the injected fragment as part of the query. This exposes the full database contents to arbitrary SELECT, UPDATE, and DELETE operations. The most immediate risk is extraction of hashed administrator credentials from the users table, which enables authenticated access to the admin panel and further compromise.

Root Cause

The root cause is unsafe string concatenation of untrusted input into a SQL statement, classified as [CWE-89]. The news item handler treats the ID parameter as trusted numeric input. The absence of input validation, type coercion, or parameterized queries allows any request that reaches the news item route to alter the query structure.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires only network access to the e107 site. No authentication, no user interaction, and no elevated privileges are needed. An attacker sends an HTTP GET or POST request to the news item endpoint with a malicious value in the ID parameter. Typical payloads use UNION SELECT statements to exfiltrate credentials, or boolean and time-based blind techniques when response content is limited. The exposed attack surface is the public-facing news page, making mass scanning and automated exploitation straightforward.

Refer to the e107 GitHub Repository for source-level context on the affected component.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-72599

Indicators of Compromise

HTTP requests to the news item endpoint containing SQL keywords such as UNION, SELECT, SLEEP, BENCHMARK, or INFORMATION_SCHEMA in the ID parameter.
URL-encoded characters like %27 (single quote), %20OR%20, or comment sequences (--, #, /*) in the news ID parameter.
Unusual database response latency correlating with requests to news pages, indicating time-based blind SQL injection attempts.
New or modified rows in the e107_user table, particularly changes to administrator password hashes or email addresses.

Detection Strategies

Deploy web application firewall (WAF) rules that flag SQL metacharacters in numeric ID parameters bound to the news route.
Enable database query logging and alert on queries against news tables containing UNION, subselects, or references to system schemas.
Correlate web server access logs with database error logs to identify malformed queries triggered by injection probing.

Monitoring Recommendations

Monitor authentication events for successful admin logins from previously unseen IP addresses following suspicious news page requests.
Track outbound data volume from the web server to detect bulk database exfiltration.
Baseline normal traffic to news endpoints and alert on request bursts containing non-numeric ID values.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-72599

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict access to the e107 site behind a WAF or reverse proxy that blocks SQL injection payloads in the news ID parameter.
Audit the e107_user table for unauthorized administrator accounts or modified credential hashes and force a password reset for all admins.
Rotate database credentials and any secrets stored in e107 configuration files if compromise is suspected.
Take the affected instance offline until a fixed version is deployed if internet-exposed.

Patch Information

At the time of publication, no vendor patch reference is listed in the NVD entry. Monitor the e107 GitHub Repository for security releases beyond version 2.4.0 and apply updates as soon as they are available.

Workarounds

Enforce integer validation on the news ID parameter at the reverse proxy or WAF layer, rejecting any non-numeric value before it reaches the application.
Apply the principle of least privilege to the database account used by e107, removing UPDATE, DELETE, and DROP rights on non-essential tables.
Disable public access to the news module if the feature is not required by the deployment.

bash

# Example ModSecurity rule to block non-numeric news ID values
SecRule ARGS:id "!@rx ^[0-9]+$" \
  "id:1072599,\
   phase:2,\
   deny,\
   status:400,\
   msg:'CVE-2026-72599: Non-numeric e107 news ID blocked',\
   tag:'CWE-89'"