CVE-2026-55796 in HRMS
Summary
by MITRE • 10/17/2026
Frappe HR is an open-source human resources management solution (HRMS). Prior to 15.60.3 and 16.7.1, the Salary Payments via ECS report constructs report conditions with unsafe SQL string interpolation. An authenticated HR user supplies crafted Salary Payments via ECS report filter values. The affected Salary Payments via ECS report allows the user to inject SQL through report filter values. Successful exploitation can access sensitive database records. This issue is fixed in versions 15.60.3 and 16.7.1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/17/2026
The vulnerability identified within Frappe HR, an open-source human resources management system, represents a critical security flaw rooted in improper handling of user-supplied input during report generation processes. Specifically, the Salary Payments via ECS report module constructs SQL queries using unsafe string interpolation techniques rather than parameterized queries or prepared statements. This architectural weakness allows authenticated users with access to this specific reporting feature to manipulate the underlying database logic by injecting malicious SQL code through carefully crafted filter values. The issue affects versions prior to 15.60.3 and 16.7.1, highlighting a significant gap in input validation and sanitization practices within the application's data retrieval mechanisms for sensitive financial records.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability is classified as SQL Injection, corresponding to CWE-89 in the Common Weakness Enumeration taxonomy. The core issue lies in the direct concatenation of user-controlled variables into SQL command strings without adequate escaping or type checking. When an authenticated HR user submits specific filter criteria for the Salary Payments via ECS report, these inputs are directly embedded into the database query structure. This lack of separation between code and data enables attackers to alter the intent of the SQL statement, potentially bypassing authentication checks, extracting unauthorized data, modifying existing records, or even executing administrative operations on the underlying database server depending on the privileges assigned to the application's database account.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to the sensitive nature of the data involved. Frappe HR manages critical human resources information including salary details, employee personal identifiers, and banking coordinates for electronic fund transfers via ECS. Successful exploitation allows an attacker with authenticated access to exfiltrate highly confidential financial records that are not intended for general staff visibility. Beyond simple data theft, this vulnerability can serve as a foothold for further network compromise if the database server is accessible from other parts of the infrastructure or if it runs with elevated privileges. The ability to read arbitrary database records undermines the confidentiality and integrity guarantees provided by the HRMS platform, potentially leading to financial fraud, identity theft, or regulatory non-compliance regarding data protection standards such as GDPR or HIPAA depending on jurisdictional requirements.
Mitigation strategies must prioritize immediate patching of the affected software versions. Organizations running Frappe HR prior to version 15.60.3 and 16.7.1 should upgrade to these patched releases where the developers have implemented proper parameterized queries to prevent SQL injection attacks. In addition to updating, administrators should enforce strict role-based access control to ensure that only authorized personnel can generate sensitive financial reports. Implementing a Web Application Firewall with rules specifically tuned for detecting SQL injection patterns can provide an additional layer of defense by blocking malicious payloads before they reach the application logic. Furthermore, conducting regular code reviews focused on database interaction layers and adopting secure coding guidelines such as those outlined in OWASP Top Ten will help prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced in future development cycles.