CVE-2026-93978: Internship Management System SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2026-93978 Overview

CVE-2026-93978 is a SQL injection vulnerability in code-projects Internship Management System 1.0. The flaw resides in the /login.php endpoint, where the Password parameter is passed to a database query without proper sanitization. An unauthenticated remote attacker can manipulate this parameter to inject arbitrary SQL statements. According to the advisory, a public exploit is available, increasing the likelihood of opportunistic attacks against exposed instances. The weakness is classified under [CWE-74] (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component).

Critical Impact
Remote, unauthenticated SQL injection through the login form can lead to authentication bypass and disclosure of user credentials stored in the backend database.

Affected Products

code-projects Internship Management System 1.0
Vulnerable file: /login.php
Vulnerable parameter: Password

Discovery Timeline

2026-09-20 - CVE-2026-93978 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2026-09-21 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-93978

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability lives in the authentication handler defined in /login.php. The Password argument submitted by the client is concatenated into a SQL statement without parameterization or escaping. Because the login endpoint is reachable pre-authentication, an attacker only needs network access to the web application to trigger the flaw. Successful exploitation can yield authentication bypass, extraction of stored credentials, or enumeration of the underlying schema. Given that the application manages internship-related personal data, disclosure carries privacy implications for students and administrators.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing input neutralization on the Password field before it is used in a downstream SQL query. The application does not use prepared statements or parameterized queries, so operator characters supplied by the attacker alter the query's structure. This maps to [CWE-74], a broad injection weakness class, with a direct SQL injection manifestation.

Attack Vector

Exploitation is performed over the network by sending a crafted HTTP POST request to /login.php with a malicious Password value. No prior authentication or user interaction is required. A public proof-of-concept describing the injection payload is available in the referenced GitHub CVE Report and the VulDB CVE-2026-93978 Entry. Attackers can automate exploitation with commodity SQL injection tooling once the endpoint is fingerprinted.

See the referenced advisories for technical payload details; no vetted code example is reproduced here.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-93978

Indicators of Compromise

POST requests to /login.php where the Password field contains SQL metacharacters such as ', ", --, #, OR 1=1, or UNION SELECT.
Repeated failed login attempts followed by a sudden successful login from the same source IP.
Database error strings (for example, MySQL syntax errors) returned in HTTP responses from the login page.
Outbound database queries with unusually long WHERE clauses referencing information_schema or mysql.user.

Detection Strategies

Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule that inspects the Password parameter for SQL injection signatures on requests to /login.php.
Enable database query logging and alert on queries containing tautologies or UNION-based patterns originating from the web application user.
Correlate web server access logs with authentication events to identify anomalous login successes without preceding valid session activity.

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward web, application, and database logs to a centralized analytics platform for retention and correlation.
Baseline normal login traffic patterns and alert on deviations in request length, character distribution, or response codes for /login.php.
Monitor for exfiltration-sized responses from the login endpoint, which can indicate UNION-based data extraction.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-93978

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict network access to the Internship Management System to trusted networks or place it behind a VPN until a fix is applied.
Deploy WAF rules that block SQL injection payloads targeting the Password parameter on /login.php.
Rotate credentials for any accounts stored in the application database and audit for unauthorized access.

Patch Information

No official vendor patch has been published in the referenced advisories at the time of NVD publication. Administrators should monitor the Code Projects Resource Hub and the VulDB Vulnerability #407937 entry for future updates. If no patch becomes available, consider replacing the application or refactoring the login handler to use parameterized queries.

Workarounds

Modify /login.php to use prepared statements or parameterized queries via PDO or MySQLi for all user-supplied input.
Apply server-side input validation that rejects non-printable and SQL metacharacters in authentication fields.
Enforce least-privilege database accounts so the web application user cannot read sensitive tables such as information_schema.
Enable generic error handling to prevent database error messages from leaking through HTTP responses.

bash

# Example ModSecurity rule to block SQLi patterns in the Password field on /login.php
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@streq /login.php" \
  "phase:2,chain,deny,status:403,id:1009301,msg:'Block SQLi on login Password parameter'"
  SecRule ARGS:Password "@detectSQLi" "t:none"