CVE-2026-9356: SourceCodester Hospitals Patient Records Management System SQL Injection

A SQL injection vulnerability, identified as CVE-2026-9356, has been discovered in SourceCodester Hospitals Patient Records Management System version 1.0. The vulnerability resides in the /admin/patients/manage_history.php file and is triggered by manipulating the ID argument. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability remotely to inject malicious SQL queries into the application. Publicly available exploits exist, increasing the risk of exploitation. This vulnerability can allow an attacker to potentially read, modify, or delete sensitive patient data within the database. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to personal health information, compromising patient privacy and the integrity of the hospital’s data.

Attack Chain

1. An attacker identifies a vulnerable instance of SourceCodester Hospitals Patient Records Management System 1.0.
2. The attacker crafts a malicious HTTP request targeting /admin/patients/manage_history.php.
3. The attacker injects SQL code into the ID parameter of the HTTP request.
4. The application fails to properly sanitize or validate the input provided in the ID parameter.
5. The injected SQL code is executed against the application’s database.
6. The attacker gains unauthorized access to sensitive data, such as patient records, usernames, and passwords.
7. The attacker may modify or delete data, potentially disrupting hospital operations.
8. The attacker can potentially use the compromised database to pivot to other systems on the network.

Impact

Successful exploitation of CVE-2026-9356 can lead to unauthorized access to and modification of sensitive patient data. This could result in a breach of patient privacy, financial losses due to regulatory fines, and reputational damage for the affected hospital. Given the potential for data exfiltration and manipulation, the impact is considered significant. There are no specifics on observed victim counts or target sectors beyond healthcare, but successful attacks would cause data breaches and regulatory action.

Recommendation

• Apply available patches or updates from SourceCodester to address CVE-2026-9356 in Hospitals Patient Records Management System 1.0.
• Deploy the Sigma rule “Detect CVE-2026-9356 Exploitation Attempt via SQL Injection” to your SIEM to identify exploitation attempts targeting /admin/patients/manage_history.php.
• Implement input validation and sanitization measures on the ID parameter in /admin/patients/manage_history.php to prevent SQL injection attacks.
• Monitor web server logs for suspicious activity, such as unusual characters or SQL keywords in the ID parameter, using a log monitoring system.
• Apply the Sigma rule “Detect Generic SQL Injection in URI Query” to detect general SQL injection attempts across the web server.
• Implement a web application firewall (WAF) to filter out malicious requests and protect against SQL injection attacks.