CVE-2018-25401 SQL Injection in Open ISES Project 3.30A: Unauthenticated Database Access

Technical summary

CVE-2018-25401 is an unauthenticated SQL injection vulnerability in Open ISES Project 3.30A affecting the p1 parameter of sever_graph.php. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation on user-supplied SQL parameters. Attackers exploit this by sending crafted GET requests containing SQL metacharacters and commands. The CVSS 3.1 score of 8.2 reflects high confidentiality impact (information disclosure), low integrity impact (potential for data modification in some injection contexts), and no availability impact. The attack vector is network-based with low complexity and requires no privileges or user interaction.

Business impact

Unauthorized database access poses significant operational and compliance risk. Attackers can exfiltrate sensitive data stored in the application database—including user information, credentials, and business logic—without detection. This exposure may trigger regulatory breach notification obligations (GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS depending on data stored) and damage customer trust. In environments where Open ISES processes or stores critical operational data, information disclosure could enable follow-on attacks or competitive harm.

Affected systems

Open ISES Project version 3.30A is confirmed affected. The vulnerability requires network access to the sever_graph.php endpoint. Any deployment of this version exposed to untrusted networks (internet-facing or accessible from compromised internal systems) is at risk. Organizations should inventory all instances and assess network exposure.

Exploitability

This vulnerability is straightforward to exploit. No authentication is required, network access is the only prerequisite, and SQL injection payloads are well-understood attack primitives. Attack complexity is low—standard SQL UNION-based or boolean-blind injection techniques apply. The attack requires only HTTP GET capability and basic SQL knowledge. Exploitation can be automated with standard vulnerability scanners or custom scripts. The lack of KEV listing does not reflect difficulty; rather, active exploitation in the wild has not been formally documented to CISA at the time of this data snapshot.

Remediation

Immediate action required: upgrade Open ISES Project to a patched version. Contact the Open ISES Project maintainers or check their official repository for a release that addresses CVE-2018-25401. If an upgrade is unavailable or delayed, implement network-level controls to restrict access to sever_graph.php—use firewall rules, reverse proxy authentication, or WAF rules to block or sanitize requests to that endpoint. Parameterized queries and prepared statements should be enforced in any patched code.

Patch guidance

Verify the availability of a patched release from the Open ISES Project official sources (GitHub, project website, or security advisory). Upgrade to the earliest available version after 3.30A that includes a fix for this SQL injection. Test the patched version in a non-production environment first to ensure compatibility with your deployment. After upgrade, validate that sever_graph.php correctly rejects malicious SQL payloads and returns errors instead of database results. Document the patch date and version applied for compliance records.

Detection guidance

Monitor HTTP access logs for GET requests to sever_graph.php containing suspicious SQL syntax characters (apostrophes, semicolons, UNION, SELECT, OR, comment sequences like --, /**/). Log and alert on 4xx or 5xx responses from that endpoint, which may indicate injection attempts triggering SQL errors. Network-based IDS/IPS rules targeting SQL injection patterns in HTTP query parameters can detect exploitation attempts. Query application databases for unexpected schema access or data exports correlating with alert timestamps. If available, enable query logging on the database backend to capture injected SQL commands.

Why prioritize this

HIGH priority remediation is warranted due to the combination of unauthenticated access, high-impact information disclosure, and low exploitation complexity. Any internet-facing or network-accessible instance of Open ISES Project 3.30A should be treated as an urgent patch candidate. Internal-only deployments in segmented networks with restricted access should still be patched within normal maintenance windows but are lower tactical priority than exposed instances.

Risk score, explained

The CVSS 3.1 score of 8.2 (HIGH) reflects a critical confidentiality impact (full database information disclosure) with minimal complexity or barriers to exploitation. The absence of availability impact (no denial of service) and limited integrity impact (attacker focus is on reading, not modifying) prevents a CRITICAL rating. However, unauthenticated network access combined with sensitive data exposure justifies the HIGH severity. Organizations should not underweight this based on the score alone—the practical risk is substantial for any system storing sensitive information.

Frequently asked questions