CVE-2019-25757: Joomla vWishlist SQL Injection Vulnerability – HIGH Severity

Technical summary

CVE-2019-25757 is a SQL injection vulnerability (CWE-89) in Joomla vWishlist 1.0.1 affecting the vproductid and userid parameters. The vulnerability permits authenticated attackers to inject malicious SQL through POST requests to the component, bypassing input validation. Successful exploitation enables arbitrary query execution against the underlying database, facilitating information disclosure of database metadata and sensitive data structures.

Business impact

A compromise of this vulnerability could allow internal staff or attackers with stolen credentials to access confidential database contents, including customer records, product information, and system metadata. While the CVSS score reflects limited integrity impact and no availability impact, the high confidentiality rating indicates significant risk of data breach. Organizations running outdated Joomla installations may face compliance violations (GDPR, PCI-DSS) if customer or payment data is exfiltrated through this vector.

Affected systems

Joomla vWishlist component version 1.0.1 is confirmed affected. Users should verify whether their Joomla installations include this component and confirm the exact version in use. The vulnerability requires authenticated access, so it primarily affects systems where user accounts exist and access controls are in place.

Exploitability

Exploitation requires valid authentication credentials, which raises the bar compared to unauthenticated SQL injection. However, the attack complexity is low and requires no user interaction beyond issuing a crafted POST request. The vulnerability is easily reproducible once an attacker obtains valid login details through credential theft, phishing, or insider access. No public exploit code availability is currently documented for this CVE.

Remediation

Immediately upgrade Joomla vWishlist to a patched version beyond 1.0.1. If an upgrade is not immediately available, disable or uninstall the vWishlist component until a fix is released. Apply input validation and parameterized queries (prepared statements) if you maintain a custom fork. Review database access logs for suspicious query patterns and audit user account activity during the vulnerability window.

Patch guidance

Check the official Joomla vWishlist component repository and vendor advisories for a patched version release. Verify the patch version against the official changelog before deployment. If upgrading from 1.0.1, test the new version in a staging environment to ensure compatibility with your Joomla installation and any extensions that depend on vWishlist. Document the upgrade date and patch version applied for compliance records.

Detection guidance

Monitor POST requests to vWishlist component endpoints for SQL metacharacters (single quotes, double dashes, UNION keywords) in vproductid and userid parameters. Inspect database query logs for unusual SELECT, UNION, or INFORMATION_SCHEMA queries originating from web application accounts. Review authentication logs for failed login attempts followed by successful authenticated requests, indicating credential compromise. Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to block common SQL injection patterns before they reach the application.

Why prioritize this

This vulnerability merits prompt attention despite not being listed on the CISA KEV catalog. It combines a HIGH CVSS score (7.1), confirmed SQL injection, and real risk of data exfiltration. Although authentication is required, many organizations operate with weak password policies or account sharing, making credential compromise plausible. The presence of a publicly disclosed CVE accelerates attacker awareness and increases exploit likelihood.

Risk score, explained

The CVSS 3.1 score of 7.1 (HIGH) reflects: network-accessible attack vector, low complexity once authenticated, requirement for valid user privileges, no user interaction needed, and high confidentiality impact balanced against limited integrity and no availability impact. The severity is driven primarily by the ease of execution and the sensitivity of data at risk (database metadata and content), rather than system-wide disruption potential.

Frequently asked questions