CVE-2026-15190: SQL Injection in SourceCodester Simple and Nice Shopping Cart Script

CVE-2026-15190 details a significant SQL injection vulnerability affecting SourceCodester Simple and Nice Shopping Cart Script version 1.0. This flaw, located within the /login.php file, specifically targets the 'Username' argument during the login process. An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit this vulnerability by injecting malicious SQL code into the username field, leading to authentication bypass, unauthorized access, and potentially the exfiltration or manipulation of database contents. The vulnerability has been publicly disclosed, and an exploit for it is now available, significantly increasing the risk of widespread exploitation. Organizations using this specific version of the shopping cart script are at immediate risk from opportunistic attackers leveraging the readily available exploit.

Attack Chain

1. Initial Access (Unauthenticated Request): An unauthenticated attacker sends an HTTP POST request to the /login.php endpoint of the vulnerable SourceCodester Simple and Nice Shopping Cart Script 1.0.
2. Parameter Manipulation: The attacker crafts a malicious Username parameter within the HTTP POST request, embedding SQL injection payloads such as ' OR '1'='1 or UNION SELECT statements.
3. Backend SQL Query Injection: The vulnerable application processes the crafted Username input without proper sanitization, directly incorporating the attacker's malicious string into the backend SQL query intended for user authentication.
4. Authentication Bypass: The injected SQL payload manipulates the database query logic (e.g., SELECT * FROM users WHERE username='[attacker_input]' AND password='[provided_password]'), causing it to return a 'true' condition, thereby bypassing the intended authentication mechanism.
5. Unauthorized Access: The attacker gains unauthorized access to the application, often as an administrative user or the first legitimate user in the database, without needing correct credentials.
6. Data Exfiltration/Manipulation (Post-Authentication): Once authenticated, the attacker may further leverage SQL injection (or other discovered vulnerabilities) to exfiltrate sensitive data from the database (e.g., customer details, order information, payment data hashes) or manipulate existing data.
7. Privilege Escalation (Optional): Depending on the backend database system and its configuration, the attacker might further escalate privileges within the database or the underlying server, potentially leading to remote code execution.
8. Impact: The final objective is typically data theft, website defacement, or complete compromise of the web server and associated systems.

Impact

Successful exploitation of CVE-2026-15190 allows unauthenticated attackers to bypass the login mechanism of the Simple and Nice Shopping Cart Script 1.0. This can lead to unauthorized access to the application's administrative functions and sensitive database contents. The direct consequences include the theft of customer data (personal information, order history), financial data exposure, website defacement, and potential compromise of the underlying server infrastructure if further exploitation paths are found. Given that the exploit is public, the attack surface is wide open to any opportunistic threat actor, posing a significant risk to the integrity and confidentiality of any organization utilizing this specific outdated version of the script.

Recommendation

• Immediately patch or upgrade SourceCodester Simple and Nice Shopping Cart Script to a version where CVE-2026-15190 is remediated, or remove the affected software from production.
• Deploy the Sigma rule 'Detects CVE-2026-15190 Exploitation - SQLi in /login.php Username' to your SIEM, ensuring webserver logs are ingested, and tune for your environment to identify attempted exploitation.
• Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with updated signatures capable of detecting and blocking SQL injection attempts, specifically targeting the patterns indicated in the detection rule for CVE-2026-15190.
• Review web server access logs for /login.php for any unusual cs-uri-query patterns that might indicate injection attempts.