CVE-2026-78070 Overview
CVE-2026-78070 is an authenticated blind SQL injection vulnerability in Digital Peak's DPCalendar extension for Joomla. The flaw affects DPCalendar versions 5.5.0 through 10.11.2 and is triggered when an authenticated user with article update permissions saves an article. The DPCalendar content plugin processes article content in a manner that allows attacker-controlled input to reach the underlying SQL query without proper sanitization. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command).
Critical Impact
A privileged authenticated user can extract sensitive database contents from Joomla sites running vulnerable DPCalendar versions through blind SQL injection payloads embedded in saved articles.
Affected Products
- Digital Peak DPCalendar for Joomla 5.5.0 through 10.11.2
- Joomla installations with the DPCalendar content plugin enabled
- Sites where content editors or higher-privileged roles can save articles
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-08-28 - CVE-2026-78070 published to NVD
- 2026-08-28 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2026-78070
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability exists in the DPCalendar content plugin that hooks into Joomla's article save workflow. When an article is saved, the plugin processes tag-like markers or embedded parameters within the article body to render calendar data. One or more of these input paths concatenate user-supplied values directly into a SQL statement instead of using parameterized queries or Joomla's database abstraction layer bind methods.
Exploitation requires an authenticated session with the core.edit permission on articles. This limits the attack surface to trusted content roles such as Author, Editor, Publisher, or Administrator. The injection is blind, meaning results are not returned in the HTTP response, so attackers rely on boolean-based or time-based inference to extract data.
The attack vector is network-based with low complexity, but the high privilege requirement narrows the practical exploit population to insider threats, compromised editor accounts, and multi-tenant Joomla environments where content roles are delegated broadly.
Root Cause
The root cause is improper neutralization of special SQL elements in the DPCalendar content plugin. Input parsed from article content flows into a query string without escaping or prepared-statement binding, permitting a subquery, UNION, or conditional payload to alter the query semantics.
Attack Vector
An authenticated attacker with article edit rights creates or edits an article containing a crafted DPCalendar tag or shortcode. Saving the article triggers the plugin, which executes the tainted SQL. The attacker uses boolean or timing side channels to enumerate database schema, user credentials, session tokens, or Joomla configuration secrets.
No verified proof-of-concept code is publicly available. Refer to the Digital Peak DPCalendar product page for vendor advisories and version release notes.
Detection Methods for CVE-2026-78070
Indicators of Compromise
- Article save operations containing SQL meta-characters such as ', --, SLEEP(, BENCHMARK(, or UNION SELECT within DPCalendar tags
- Unusually long response times on Joomla article save endpoints (/administrator/index.php?option=com_content&task=article.save) consistent with time-based blind SQLi
- Repeated article save requests from a single authenticated session iterating single-character payloads
Detection Strategies
- Enable Joomla database query logging and alert on queries originating from the DPCalendar plugin that contain conditional expressions or SLEEP/BENCHMARK functions
- Deploy a web application firewall rule that inspects article body parameters submitted to Joomla content endpoints for SQL injection signatures
- Correlate authenticated user sessions with anomalous volumes of article edits followed by database performance degradation
Monitoring Recommendations
- Monitor MySQL or MariaDB slow query logs for queries referencing DPCalendar tables with suspicious WHERE clauses
- Audit Joomla user accounts holding core.edit on articles and review recent article revisions for embedded SQL payloads
- Track outbound DNS or HTTP requests from the database server that could indicate out-of-band data exfiltration attempts
How to Mitigate CVE-2026-78070
Immediate Actions Required
- Upgrade DPCalendar to a version later than 10.11.2 as released by Digital Peak
- Temporarily disable the DPCalendar content plugin in Joomla's Plugin Manager if patching cannot be performed immediately
- Review and reduce the number of Joomla accounts with article edit privileges to the minimum required
- Rotate Joomla administrator credentials and session secrets if suspicious article activity is observed
Patch Information
Digital Peak has released updated DPCalendar builds addressing the SQL injection flaw. Consult the Digital Peak DPCalendar product page for the current fixed release and upgrade instructions. Apply the vendor update through Joomla's Extension Manager and verify the installed version reports higher than 10.11.2.
Workarounds
- Disable the DPCalendar content plugin under Extensions > Plugins in the Joomla administrator console until the update is applied
- Restrict article edit permissions to a minimal set of trusted administrators
- Place a web application firewall in front of Joomla with rules blocking SQL injection payloads in article POST bodies
# Disable the DPCalendar content plugin via Joomla CLI as a temporary mitigation
php cli/joomla.php extension:disable --type=plugin --folder=content --element=dpcalendar
# Verify installed DPCalendar version
php cli/joomla.php extension:list | grep -i dpcalendar
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
