CVE-2026-7268: Pizzafy Ecommerce System SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2026-7268 Overview

CVE-2026-7268 is a SQL injection vulnerability in SourceCodester Pizzafy Ecommerce System 1.0. The flaw resides in the save_category function within /admin/ajax.php?action=save_category. Attackers can manipulate the Name parameter to inject arbitrary SQL statements into the backend database query. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable and requires low privileges, with no user interaction needed. Public disclosure has occurred, and exploit details are available, though no in-the-wild exploitation has been confirmed. The weakness is classified under [CWE-74] (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component).

Critical Impact
Authenticated remote attackers can inject SQL through the category save endpoint to read, modify, or delete data in the underlying database.

Affected Products

SourceCodester Pizzafy Ecommerce System 1.0
The /admin/ajax.php?action=save_category endpoint
The save_category function processing the Name parameter

Discovery Timeline

2026-04-28 - CVE-2026-7268 published to NVD
2026-04-29 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-7268

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability exists in the administrative AJAX handler of the Pizzafy Ecommerce System. When an authenticated user submits a category save request to /admin/ajax.php?action=save_category, the application passes the Name parameter into a SQL statement without proper sanitization or parameterization. Attackers can append SQL syntax to the Name value to alter the intended query logic.

Successful exploitation allows reading, modifying, or deleting database records that the web application's database user can access. Because the vulnerable function lives in the admin interface, exploitation requires valid administrator-level credentials, which limits the practical attack surface but does not eliminate risk from credential theft or insider misuse.

The EPSS probability is 0.037% with a percentile of 11.16, indicating low predicted exploitation likelihood in the near term.

Root Cause

The root cause is the direct concatenation of user-supplied input from the Name field into a SQL query string inside the save_category handler. The code does not use prepared statements or parameter binding. It also does not validate or escape the input before constructing the query, allowing SQL metacharacters to terminate strings and inject new clauses.

Attack Vector

An attacker authenticated to the admin panel sends a crafted POST request to /admin/ajax.php?action=save_category containing SQL payload syntax in the Name form field. Common payloads include union-based selects to exfiltrate data, boolean-based blind techniques, or stacked queries depending on database driver configuration. The attack is conducted entirely over the network with no user interaction required from another party. Refer to the GitHub SQL Injection Submission and VulDB Vulnerability #359919 for additional technical disclosure details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-7268

Indicators of Compromise

HTTP POST requests to /admin/ajax.php?action=save_category containing SQL metacharacters such as single quotes, UNION, SELECT, --, /*, or ; in the Name parameter.
Unexpected database errors logged from the admin panel around category creation events.
New or modified administrator accounts and unexpected changes to product or category tables.

Detection Strategies

Inspect web server access logs for requests targeting the save_category action with suspicious payload patterns in Name.
Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) rule that flags SQL injection signatures on the admin AJAX endpoint.
Enable database query logging and alert on anomalous query structures originating from the Pizzafy application user.

Monitoring Recommendations

Monitor authentication logs for unusual admin logins, especially from new IP addresses or geographies preceding category save activity.
Track outbound data volume from the database server to detect potential bulk exfiltration via UNION-based injection.
Correlate admin panel activity with database schema changes using SIEM rules.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-7268

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict access to /admin/ajax.php to trusted administrative IP ranges through network ACLs or reverse proxy rules.
Rotate all administrator credentials and enforce strong password policies for the Pizzafy admin panel.
Audit existing category and user tables for unauthorized entries created via injection.

Patch Information

No vendor patch has been published at the time of NVD entry. SourceCodester users should monitor the SourceCodester website for updates. Until an official fix is released, apply the workarounds below and consider replacing the save_category query with a parameterized statement if source modification is feasible.

Workarounds

Modify the save_category function to use prepared statements with bound parameters for the Name input.
Implement server-side input validation that rejects SQL metacharacters in category names.
Place the application behind a WAF configured with OWASP Core Rule Set SQL injection signatures.
Reduce database user privileges so the application account cannot perform schema changes or access unrelated tables.

bash

# Example WAF rule snippet (ModSecurity) to block SQLi patterns on the affected endpoint
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains /admin/ajax.php" \
  "chain,phase:2,deny,status:403,id:1002026,msg:'Block SQLi attempt on save_category'"
  SecRule ARGS:Name "@detectSQLi" "t:none"