CVE-2026-9383: Electronic Judging System SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2026-9383 Overview

CVE-2026-9383 is a SQL injection vulnerability in itsourcecode Electronic Judging System 1.0. The flaw resides in the /intrams/admin/login.php file, where the Username parameter is passed to the backend database without proper sanitization. Remote attackers can manipulate the parameter to inject arbitrary SQL statements against the application database. The exploit details have been disclosed publicly, increasing the risk of opportunistic attacks against exposed installations. The weakness is classified under CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component.

Critical Impact
Unauthenticated remote attackers can inject SQL through the admin login form, potentially bypassing authentication and accessing or modifying judging system data.

Affected Products

itsourcecode Electronic Judging System 1.0
Vulnerable file: /intrams/admin/login.php
Vulnerable parameter: Username

Discovery Timeline

2026-05-24 - CVE-2026-9383 published to NVD
2026-05-26 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-9383

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a classic SQL injection in the administrator authentication workflow of the Electronic Judging System. The login.php script accepts the Username parameter from the HTTP request and concatenates it into a SQL query without parameterization or input validation. An attacker can inject SQL syntax such as boolean conditions or UNION clauses to alter the query logic. Because the affected endpoint is the admin login, successful exploitation can lead to authentication bypass and unauthorized administrative access. The attack is remote, network-reachable, and requires no prior privileges or user interaction.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper neutralization of special characters in the Username input before it is used in a downstream SQL statement [CWE-74]. The application fails to use prepared statements or parameterized queries, allowing attacker-controlled metacharacters such as single quotes, comments, and SQL operators to be interpreted as code rather than data.

Attack Vector

An attacker sends a crafted HTTP POST request to /intrams/admin/login.php with a malicious payload in the Username field. Typical payloads use a tautology such as appending OR 1=1 followed by a comment sequence to neutralize the password check. The exploit has been disclosed publicly through the GitHub issue tracker and VulDB, meaning weaponized payloads are accessible to low-skill attackers. No authentication is required to reach the vulnerable endpoint.

No verified proof-of-concept code is included here. See the GitHub Issue Discussion and VulDB Vulnerability #365346 for additional technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-9383

Indicators of Compromise

HTTP POST requests to /intrams/admin/login.php containing SQL metacharacters such as ', --, #, UNION, SELECT, or OR 1=1 in the Username parameter.
Unexpected administrator login successes from unusual source IP addresses or geographies.
Database error messages or stack traces returned to clients during authentication attempts.
Anomalous spikes in failed and successful login attempts against the /intrams/admin/ path.

Detection Strategies

Deploy web application firewall (WAF) signatures that flag SQL injection patterns in POST bodies targeting login endpoints.
Enable verbose web server access logging and inspect Username field values for non-alphanumeric content.
Correlate database query errors with inbound HTTP requests to identify injection probing.
Hunt for newly created administrator accounts or modified judging records following suspicious login traffic.

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward web server, application, and database logs to a centralized logging or SIEM platform for correlation.
Establish baselines for normal admin login volume and alert on deviations.
Monitor outbound database connections from the web server for unusual query patterns or large result sets.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-9383

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict network access to /intrams/admin/ paths to trusted administrative IP ranges or internal networks only.
Place the application behind a WAF with SQL injection rule sets enabled in blocking mode.
Rotate any administrator credentials and audit recent login activity for signs of compromise.
Review database logs for unauthorized data access or modification originating from the application user.

Patch Information

No official vendor patch has been published at the time of NVD listing. Organizations running itsourcecode Electronic Judging System 1.0 should monitor the vendor site for updates and consider replacing the affected component or applying source-level fixes to use parameterized queries.

Workarounds

Modify login.php to use parameterized queries or prepared statements through PDO or MySQLi with bound parameters.
Apply server-side input validation to reject non-alphanumeric characters in the Username field.
Disable verbose database error reporting in production to prevent information leakage that aids exploitation.
Isolate the application database account with least-privilege permissions to limit the impact of successful injection.

bash

# Configuration example: restrict admin path via nginx
location /intrams/admin/ {
    allow 10.0.0.0/8;
    deny all;
}