CVE-2018-25382: Zechat 1.5 SQL Injection Vulnerability – Unauthenticated Database Access

Technical summary

The vulnerability is a UNION-based SQL injection (CWE-89) in the uname parameter of profile.php. The application fails to sanitize or parameterize user input before constructing SQL queries, enabling attackers to append UNION SELECT statements to retrieve arbitrary data from the information_schema database, including table names, column names, and application data. This is exploitable remotely without authentication or user interaction.

Business impact

An unauthenticated attacker can systematically enumerate the entire database schema and exfiltrate sensitive information including user credentials, personal data, and business-critical records. This exposure can lead to regulatory violations (GDPR, CCPA, etc.), reputational damage, and potential follow-on attacks leveraging compromised credentials or business intelligence.

Affected systems

Zechat version 1.5 is explicitly affected. Organizations running this version should assume all deployed instances are vulnerable unless patched. Verify your installed version in application settings or administrative console. Determine if Zechat is internet-facing or accessible from untrusted networks, as the vulnerability requires no authentication.

Exploitability

Exploitability is high. The attack requires only network access to the profile.php endpoint and no authentication credentials. Attack complexity is low—standard UNION injection syntax will work. Tools like SQLmap can automate exploitation. No special conditions or user interaction needed. The ease of exploitation combined with high-value data access makes this an attractive target for opportunistic attackers.

Remediation

Upgrade Zechat to a patched version released after 2026-06-17 (check vendor advisory for specific version number). If immediate patching is not possible, implement network-level controls: restrict access to profile.php to trusted IP ranges, disable the application until patched, or deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with SQL injection detection rules. Input validation is not a sufficient long-term control for SQL injection.

Patch guidance

Contact the Zechat vendor or visit their security advisory page to obtain the patched release. Apply patches in a test environment first to verify application functionality. Schedule downtime if required for the upgrade. Verify the patch by confirming the application version post-deployment and by running a simple SQL injection test (or automated scanner) against profile.php to confirm the injection point is no longer exploitable.

Detection guidance

Monitor profile.php access logs for SQL injection patterns, including UNION keywords, SELECT statements, or encoded SQL syntax in the uname parameter. Deploy a WAF or intrusion detection system (IDS) tuned to catch SQL injection attempts. Search application logs for unusual database queries or failed query syntax errors. Network packet inspection for %20UNION%20 or similar encoded SQL fragments in HTTP requests will reveal exploitation attempts. Consider enabling SQL query logging on the database to detect anomalous SELECT statements from the application user account.

Why prioritize this

Despite not being in the CISA KEV catalog, this vulnerability warrants urgent attention due to its high CVSS score (8.2), complete lack of authentication requirement, ease of exploitation, and direct access to sensitive data. The broad attack surface (any user with network access) and minimal effort required to weaponize make this a critical business risk requiring immediate remediation.

Risk score, explained

The CVSS 3.1 score of 8.2 reflects high confidentiality impact (C:H), network-based attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), and no authentication requirement (PR:N). The integrity impact (I:L) acknowledges potential for indirect data manipulation through retrieved schema information. The score appropriately captures the severity of unauthenticated remote database access, though the real-world impact may be amplified if sensitive personal or financial data is stored in the Zechat database.

Frequently asked questions