CVE-2018-25416: Unauthenticated SQL Injection in AiOPMSD Final 1.0.0

Technical summary

CVE-2018-25416 is an unauthenticated SQL injection vulnerability in AiOPMSD Final 1.0.0 affecting the country parameter in country.php. The vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation, allowing attackers to inject arbitrary SQL commands via GET requests. Successful exploitation enables unauthorized data extraction from the underlying database. The attack vector is network-based with low complexity and requires no authentication or user interaction, making it trivial to exploit. The CVSS 3.1 vector (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N) reflects high confidentiality impact and limited integrity impact, with no availability disruption.

Business impact

Exploitation of this vulnerability enables attackers to access sensitive database contents including user credentials, application metadata, and system configuration details. Depending on what data resides in the database, exposure could lead to account compromise, privilege escalation, or further lateral movement within infrastructure. The lack of authentication requirement means any external party can attempt exploitation without prior access, significantly broadening the risk surface. For organizations running AiOPMSD Final 1.0.0, this represents a critical data confidentiality breach risk.

Affected systems

AiOPMSD Final version 1.0.0 is the sole affected version. The vulnerability is triggered through the country.php endpoint when the country parameter receives unsanitized input. Any deployment of this specific version should be considered at risk if exposed to untrusted network traffic.

Exploitability

This vulnerability is highly exploitable. It requires only network access and can be triggered via simple HTTP GET requests—no authentication, no special tools, and no user interaction needed. The attack complexity is low; a working proof-of-concept can be constructed by an attacker with basic SQL knowledge. Given the unauthenticated nature and straightforward injection mechanism, exploitation is likely to be attempted quickly and broadly once details are known.

Remediation

The primary remediation is to upgrade AiOPMSD Final beyond version 1.0.0. Verify that patches are available from the vendor and apply them immediately. If an upgrade path does not exist or is delayed, implement network-level access controls to restrict who can reach country.php, such as IP allowlisting or Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules that inspect and block malicious SQL patterns in the country parameter. Additionally, apply input validation and parameterized queries at the application code level if you maintain a fork of the software.

Patch guidance

Check the AiOPMSD vendor advisory and documentation for available patch versions beyond 1.0.0. Apply the patch following the vendor's deployment instructions. After patching, restart affected application instances and verify that the country parameter now properly rejects SQL injection attempts. Test with known SQL injection payloads (e.g., OR 1=1) to confirm the fix is effective.

Detection guidance

Monitor web server logs for GET requests to country.php that contain SQL keywords or special characters in the country parameter (e.g., single quotes, comment sequences, UNION, SELECT). Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns. Use database query logs to identify unusual queries or failed authentication attempts. Network intrusion detection systems (IDS) can be tuned to flag HTTP requests with SQL injection signatures targeting this endpoint. Additionally, database access logs should be reviewed for queries originating from unexpected sources or containing extracted data.

Why prioritize this

This vulnerability merits immediate attention due to its HIGH CVSS score (8.2), unauthenticated access requirement, and low exploitation complexity. The exposure of database credentials and system metadata creates direct pathways for further compromise. Unlike vulnerabilities requiring authentication or user interaction, this flaw is accessible to any attacker with network connectivity. Organizations running AiOPMSD Final 1.0.0 should treat this as a critical priority.

Risk score, explained

The CVSS 3.1 score of 8.2 (HIGH) reflects a network-accessible, unauthenticated attack with no user interaction needed (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N). High confidentiality impact (C:H) stems from direct database query capability. Limited integrity impact (I:L) accounts for potential data modification through SQL injection, while no availability impact (A:N) is assigned because denial-of-service is not the primary concern. The unchanged scope (S:U) indicates the attacker's privileges remain within the normal bounds of the vulnerable component.

Frequently asked questions