CVE-2026-7553: Gym Management System 1.0 SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2026-7553 Overview

CVE-2026-7553 is a SQL injection vulnerability in code-projects Gym Management System 1.0. The flaw resides in the /admin/edit_exercises.php script, where the edit_exercise parameter is concatenated into a SQL query without proper sanitization. Authenticated attackers can manipulate the parameter to inject arbitrary SQL statements over the network. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output). The exploit details have been publicly disclosed, lowering the barrier to attempted exploitation against exposed instances.

Critical Impact
Authenticated remote attackers can inject SQL through the edit_exercise parameter in /admin/edit_exercises.php, potentially exposing or modifying data in the underlying database.

Affected Products

code-projects Gym Management System 1.0
Administrative module: /admin/edit_exercises.php
Vulnerable parameter: edit_exercise

Discovery Timeline

2026-05-01 - CVE-2026-7553 published to NVD
2026-05-01 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-7553

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability exists in the administrative exercise-editing workflow of Gym Management System 1.0. The edit_exercises.php script accepts the edit_exercise request parameter and incorporates the value into a backend SQL statement without parameterization or escaping. This allows attacker-controlled input to alter the structure of the executed query.

Because the attack vector is network-based and requires only high-privilege authenticated access to the admin interface, an attacker who has obtained or compromised administrator credentials can issue malicious requests remotely. The public availability of exploit details increases the likelihood that automated scanners will probe exposed deployments.

Successful exploitation can disclose database contents, modify exercise records, or pivot toward broader database manipulation depending on the privileges of the database account used by the application.

Root Cause

The root cause is direct concatenation of untrusted user input into a SQL query string. The application does not use prepared statements or parameter binding for the edit_exercise argument, and it does not validate or escape the input prior to query execution. This pattern is the canonical cause of [CWE-74] injection-class flaws.

Attack Vector

An authenticated administrator session sends a crafted HTTP request to /admin/edit_exercises.php with a malicious edit_exercise value containing SQL metacharacters. The injected payload alters the query logic, returning attacker-selected data or executing supplemental SQL statements supported by the database driver. The attacker requires network reachability to the admin interface and valid administrative credentials.

Additional technical details are documented in the VulDB Vulnerability #360361 entry and the Fox Byte Documentation write-up.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-7553

Indicators of Compromise

HTTP requests to /admin/edit_exercises.php containing SQL metacharacters such as single quotes, UNION SELECT, OR 1=1, or comment sequences (--, #) in the edit_exercise parameter.
Web server access logs showing unusually long or URL-encoded edit_exercise values from a small set of source IPs.
Database error messages or unexpected response sizes correlated with edits to exercise records.

Detection Strategies

Deploy web application firewall (WAF) signatures targeting SQL injection patterns on the edit_exercise parameter and other admin endpoints.
Enable verbose query logging on the backing database and alert on syntactically anomalous queries originating from the application user.
Correlate administrative authentication events with subsequent requests to /admin/edit_exercises.php to identify abuse of compromised admin sessions.

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward web server, application, and database logs to a centralized analytics platform for cross-source correlation.
Track failed administrator login attempts followed by successful logins, which may indicate credential compromise preceding exploitation.
Monitor for new or modified rows in exercise-related tables outside of expected administrative activity windows.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-7553

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict network access to the /admin/ path to trusted management networks or VPN users only.
Rotate administrator credentials and enforce strong, unique passwords for any accounts capable of reaching edit_exercises.php.
Audit recent activity in edit_exercises.php and the database for signs of unauthorized data manipulation.

Patch Information

No official vendor patch is referenced in the CVE record at the time of publication. Operators should monitor the Code Projects Resource Hub for updated releases. Until a fix is available, replace the vulnerable query with a parameterized statement and validate edit_exercise against an allow-list of expected values.

Workarounds

Place the application behind a WAF with SQL injection rules tuned to block payloads on the edit_exercise parameter.
Restrict the database account used by the application to least privilege, removing unnecessary write or schema-altering rights.
Disable or remove the affected administrative module if exercise editing is not in active use.

bash

# Example WAF rule (ModSecurity) blocking SQLi patterns on the vulnerable parameter
SecRule ARGS:edit_exercise "@rx (?i)(union(\s)+select|or\s+1=1|--|/\*|;|sleep\()" \
    "id:1026755301,phase:2,deny,status:403,log,\
    msg:'Potential CVE-2026-7553 SQLi attempt on edit_exercises.php'"