CVE-2026-14756: SQL Injection in Hotel and Tourism Reservation 1.0 Admin Panel

Technical summary

CVE-2026-14756 is a classic SQL injection flaw (CWE-89) in the Hotel and Tourism Reservation application, version 1.0. The vulnerability resides in the Tour Management administrative interface at `/admin/add_tour.php`, specifically in the handling of the `delete_image` parameter. The application fails to properly sanitize or parameterize user input before passing it to SQL queries, allowing attackers to break out of the intended query context and inject malicious SQL syntax. The affected code exhibits improper input validation (CWE-74), which when combined with direct SQL concatenation, creates a remote code execution vector at the database layer. No authentication is required, and the attack can be fully automated.

Business impact

This vulnerability poses a direct threat to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of guest reservations, payment information, and operational data stored within the hotel system. Attackers can extract sensitive customer records, modify booking details, or delete critical database records. For hospitality businesses relying on this platform, exploitation could disrupt operations, damage customer trust, expose payment card data (triggering compliance violations), and create liability exposure. The public availability of exploit details accelerates the timeline for malicious actors to target unpatched instances.

Affected systems

Hotel and Tourism Reservation system version 1.0 is confirmed vulnerable. Organizations running this application—particularly small to mid-sized hotel chains, booking agencies, and tourism operators using this open-source or commercial platform—are at risk. The vulnerability affects the administrative tour management functionality, meaning any deployment with an exposed or accessible `/admin/add_tour.php` endpoint is exploitable.

Exploitability

Exploitability is high. The attack requires no authentication, no user interaction, and no special client-side capabilities—a simple HTTP request with a malicious SQL payload in the `delete_image` parameter is sufficient. Network accessibility is required but is typically present in web-facing hotel reservation systems. The CVSS 3.1 score of 7.3 (HIGH) reflects low attack complexity, widespread network exposure, and direct impact to confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The fact that exploit code is publicly available and weaponizable further increases practical exploitability.

Remediation

The primary remediation is to apply a security patch from the vendor. Until a patch is released, organizations should: (1) implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to block requests containing SQL injection patterns in the `delete_image` parameter; (2) restrict network access to `/admin/add_tour.php` through IP allowlisting or VPN-only access; (3) disable the tour management feature if not in active use; (4) conduct database-level monitoring for anomalous SQL execution. Consult the vendor's official security advisory for patch availability and version numbers.

Patch guidance

Verify patch availability from the code-projects vendor or the responsible maintainer of the Hotel and Tourism Reservation system. When a patch is released, test it in a non-production environment to ensure compatibility with your hotel operations and booking workflows. Patch deployment should be prioritized given the public availability of exploits and the simplicity of the attack vector. If no official patch is available within a reasonable timeframe, consider migrating to an alternative reservation platform with active security support.

Detection guidance

Monitor web server and application logs for HTTP requests to `/admin/add_tour.php` containing SQL syntax in the `delete_image` parameter (e.g., single quotes, SQL keywords like UNION, SELECT, DROP). Implement WAF rules to flag and block common SQL injection payloads. At the database layer, enable query logging and audit trails to detect unexpected data access, modification, or deletion patterns. Hunt for indicators such as unusual character encoding, escaped quotes, or comment sequences (-- or /* */) in request parameters. If using intrusion detection systems, signature-based rules targeting CWE-89 SQL injection patterns should be active.

Why prioritize this

This vulnerability merits immediate remediation priority due to the combination of high CVSS severity (7.3), complete lack of authentication requirements, public exploit availability, and direct access to sensitive customer and operational data. The hospitality sector faces increasing regulatory scrutiny over data protection; any breach linked to this trivial, known vulnerability exposes organizations to compliance fines, reputational damage, and customer litigation. The low attack complexity means threat actors, not just sophisticated adversaries, can weaponize this flaw.

Risk score, explained

The CVSS 3.1 score of 7.3 (HIGH severity) is justified by: Network-accessible attack surface (AV:N), low attack complexity requiring only standard web requests (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction needed (UI:N), and impact across all three security pillars—confidentiality (accessing customer data), integrity (modifying bookings/payments), and availability (deleting records). While not rated Critical (8.0+), the practical risk is elevated by public exploit availability and the likelihood of targeting hospitality businesses.

Frequently asked questions