CVE-2019-25754: Unauthenticated SQL Injection in Joomla vRestaurant 1.9.4

Technical summary

CVE-2019-25754 is a classic SQL injection flaw (CWE-89) in the vRestaurant Joomla component that stems from insufficient input validation on the keysearch parameter. The vulnerability exists in the menu-listing-layout endpoint, which accepts POST requests containing user-supplied data that is concatenated directly into SQL queries without proper parameterization or escaping. An attacker can craft SQL payloads (such as UNION-based or time-based injection sequences) to extract database schema information, table names, and sensitive data. 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 network-accessible attack surface, no special access requirements, high confidentiality impact, and limited integrity impact, with no availability impact.

Business impact

Exposure of a SQL injection vulnerability in a restaurant management component poses significant risk to Joomla-based restaurant websites. Attackers can extract customer databases including names, email addresses, phone numbers, and payment-related information without authentication. The high confidentiality rating indicates substantial data breach potential. Limited integrity impact means attackers may modify non-critical data but cannot reliably alter core database structures. Organizations running vRestaurant 1.9.4 face potential regulatory compliance violations (GDPR, PCI-DSS if payment data is exposed), reputational damage, and customer trust erosion. The unauthenticated nature of the attack makes it particularly dangerous, as no insider access or compromised credentials are required.

Affected systems

Joomla Component vRestaurant version 1.9.4 is confirmed vulnerable. Organizations should audit their Joomla installations for this component and determine what versions are deployed. While CVE data indicates version 1.9.4 as explicitly affected, security best practice is to verify whether newer and older versions carry the same flaw through vendor advisories or by consulting Joomla's official security announcements. Any Joomla site exposing the menu-listing-layout endpoint with vRestaurant installed should be considered at risk.

Exploitability

This vulnerability is highly exploitable. The attack requires no authentication, no user interaction, and no special network conditions—it operates over standard HTTP/HTTPS POST requests. Exploitation is straightforward: an attacker can use common SQL injection techniques (UNION-based queries, time-based blind injection, or error-based methods) to extract data. The low attack complexity (AC:L) and lack of prerequisites (PR:N) mean that automated scanning tools, proof-of-concept code, and public payloads can reliably trigger the flaw. No sophisticated tooling is required beyond a web client capable of sending POST requests with crafted parameters. Exploitation can occur at scale across multiple targets.

Remediation

Immediate patching is the primary remediation. Organizations must update vRestaurant to a version that patches CVE-2019-25754—verify the specific patch version through the official Joomla component marketplace and vendor security advisories. Pending patch deployment, temporary mitigation includes: (1) disabling or removing the vRestaurant component if not essential; (2) restricting access to the menu-listing-layout endpoint via web application firewall rules or IP whitelisting; (3) implementing input validation and parameterized queries if source code access is available; (4) monitoring database logs for suspicious SQL patterns. As a longer-term security posture measure, conduct code review of all custom and third-party Joomla components for similar input validation gaps.

Patch guidance

Check the official Joomla Extensions Directory and vRestaurant vendor channels for the patched version that addresses CVE-2019-25754. Apply patches during a maintenance window after testing in a non-production environment. Verify that the patched version resolves SQL injection in the keysearch parameter of the menu-listing-layout endpoint. If the vendor has discontinued support for vRestaurant 1.9.4, consider evaluating alternative Joomla restaurant management components with active security maintenance. Document the patch version applied and the date of deployment for compliance and audit trails.

Detection guidance

Search your Joomla installations for the vRestaurant component and confirm version 1.9.4 is present—check the component manifest.xml or admin interface. Monitor web server access logs for POST requests to menu-listing-layout with suspicious keysearch parameter values (e.g., SQL keywords like UNION, SELECT, OR, --). Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules that detect SQL injection patterns in POST parameters. Enable and review database query logs for unexpected queries, schema extraction attempts, or data exfiltration patterns. Intrusion detection systems can flag requests containing SQL metacharacters in the keysearch field. Conduct a retrospective audit of database access logs from before patch deployment to identify potential prior exploitation.

Why prioritize this

This vulnerability merits immediate remediation. It combines high impact (CVSS 8.2 HIGH severity), complete lack of authentication barriers, direct network accessibility, and straightforward exploitation mechanics. The unauthenticated nature distinguishes this from vulnerabilities requiring prior account compromise. SQL injection affecting restaurant/hospitality sites often exposes customer personal and financial data, creating regulatory and reputational consequences. The low attack complexity and minimal barriers to exploitation mean delay increases organizational risk substantially.

Risk score, explained

The CVSS 3.1 score of 8.2 HIGH reflects: (1) Network-adjacent attack surface requiring only internet connectivity (AV:N); (2) Low attack complexity—no special conditions or bypass techniques needed (AC:L); (3) No authentication or privileges required (PR:N, UI:N); (4) High confidentiality impact from direct SQL query execution enabling unrestricted data extraction (C:H); (5) Limited integrity impact because SQL injection typically allows data modification but not structural database changes (I:L); (6) No availability impact—the attack does not crash or degrade the database (A:N); (7) Unchanged scope (S:U)—compromise does not extend beyond the vulnerable component. The score reflects serious exposure but not critical severity (which would require availability impact or widespread system compromise).

Frequently asked questions