CVE-2026-7283: Pharmacy Sales System SQL Injection Flaw

CVE-2026-7283 Overview

A SQL injection vulnerability has been discovered in SourceCodester Pharmacy Sales and Inventory System 1.0. This vulnerability impacts the save_expired function located in the file /ajax.php?action=save_expired. The manipulation of the ID argument allows for SQL injection attacks. This vulnerability can be exploited remotely over the network, and exploit code has been released publicly, increasing the risk of widespread exploitation.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this SQL injection vulnerability to manipulate database queries, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, data modification, or data deletion within the pharmacy inventory system.

Affected Products

• SourceCodester Pharmacy Sales and Inventory System 1.0

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-04-28 - CVE-2026-7283 published to NVD
• 2026-04-29 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-7283

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as SQL Injection (CWE-74: Injection), a critical class of web application security flaws. The vulnerable endpoint /ajax.php?action=save_expired fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input in the ID parameter before incorporating it into SQL queries. This allows attackers to inject arbitrary SQL commands that the database server will execute with the same privileges as the application.

The network-accessible nature of this vulnerability means attackers can exploit it remotely without requiring physical access to the target system. While the vulnerability requires high privileges to exploit, once an authenticated attacker gains access to the affected functionality, they can leverage the SQL injection to extract sensitive pharmacy data, modify inventory records, or potentially escalate their access within the database.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper input validation and lack of parameterized queries in the save_expired function. The application directly concatenates user-supplied input from the ID parameter into SQL statements without proper sanitization or the use of prepared statements. This classic SQL injection pattern allows malicious SQL code to be injected and executed by the database engine.

Attack Vector

The attack can be carried out remotely over the network by sending specially crafted HTTP requests to the /ajax.php?action=save_expired endpoint. An attacker with authenticated access to the system can manipulate the ID parameter to inject SQL commands. The injected SQL code is then executed by the database server, potentially allowing the attacker to read, modify, or delete data, or perform other database operations depending on the database user's privileges.

The attack involves crafting malicious input in the ID parameter that breaks out of the intended SQL query context. Common techniques include using single quotes, SQL comment sequences, and UNION-based or error-based injection payloads to extract data or manipulate the database. Technical details and proof-of-concept information can be found in the GitHub Issue Tracker and VulDB #359941.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-7283

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual or malformed HTTP requests to /ajax.php?action=save_expired containing SQL syntax characters such as single quotes, semicolons, or SQL keywords
• Database error messages appearing in application logs or HTTP responses indicating SQL syntax errors
• Unexpected database queries in database audit logs, particularly those containing UNION SELECT, comment sequences (--), or time-based payloads

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in requests to the /ajax.php endpoint
• Monitor application and database logs for SQL error messages, unusual query patterns, or attempts to access system tables
• Deploy intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for common SQL injection attack patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for all database queries and HTTP requests to the affected endpoint
• Configure alerts for failed SQL queries or database errors that may indicate injection attempts
• Review access logs regularly for requests with suspicious parameter values or encoding anomalies

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-7283

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict network access to the Pharmacy Sales and Inventory System to trusted IP addresses only
• Implement input validation on the ID parameter to accept only expected data types (e.g., integers)
• Consider temporarily disabling the save_expired functionality until a proper fix is applied
• Review database user privileges and apply the principle of least privilege

Patch Information

No official vendor patch has been identified for this vulnerability at the time of publication. Organizations using SourceCodester Pharmacy Sales and Inventory System 1.0 should monitor the SourceCodester website for security updates. Given that this is an open-source project, organizations may need to apply manual code fixes or consider alternative solutions.

For additional technical details and vulnerability tracking, refer to VulDB #359941 and VulDB Submission #803019.

Workarounds

• Implement prepared statements (parameterized queries) in the save_expired function to prevent SQL injection
• Add server-side input validation to ensure the ID parameter contains only numeric values
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) in front of the application to filter malicious requests
• Restrict database user permissions to minimize the impact of successful SQL injection attacks

# Example: Restrict access to the vulnerable endpoint using Apache .htaccess
<Files "ajax.php">
    Order Deny,Allow
    Deny from all
    Allow from 192.168.1.0/24
</Files>