CVE-2026-76998 in Simple Online Food Ordering System
Summary
by MITRE • 08/20/2026
A security vulnerability has been detected in SourceCodester Simple Online Food Ordering System 1.0. The impacted element is an unknown function of the file /admin/ajax.php?action=delete_category. Such manipulation of the argument ID leads to sql injection. It is possible to launch the attack remotely. The exploit has been disclosed publicly and may be used.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/24/2026
The SourceCodester Simple Online Food Ordering System version 1.0 contains a critical security flaw within its administrative interface, specifically located in the file admin/ajax.php when handling the delete_category action parameter. This vulnerability manifests as an SQL injection weakness resulting from insufficient input validation and sanitization of the ID argument passed to the database query engine. The application directly incorporates user-supplied data into SQL commands without employing prepared statements or proper escaping mechanisms, allowing attackers to manipulate the underlying database structure and content through maliciously crafted HTTP requests.
This specific instance of SQL injection falls under CWE-89 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command according to common weakness enumeration standards. The vulnerability is exploitable remotely by any authenticated user with access to the administrative panel, as it requires interaction with a backend AJAX endpoint that processes deletion operations for food categories. Although remote exploitation typically implies unauthenticated access from over a network, this particular vector suggests that while authentication may be required initially, once inside the admin interface, an attacker can execute arbitrary SQL commands without further restrictions or additional security controls such as rate limiting or input filtering at the application logic layer.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted. An attacker with basic knowledge of SQL syntax can extract sensitive data from the database including user credentials, personal information, order history, and payment details stored within the system. Beyond data exfiltration, the ability to inject arbitrary SQL commands allows for potential modification or deletion of critical records, leading to integrity violations where menu items or categories are altered without authorization. In more advanced scenarios, depending on the database configuration and privileges granted to the application's database user, this flaw could potentially lead to remote code execution if specific functions like xp_cmdshell in Microsoft SQL Server or LOAD_FILE in MySQL are enabled and accessible with sufficient permissions.
This attack vector aligns with MITRE ATT&CK technique T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter via SQL injection patterns where attackers leverage database interfaces as a proxy for executing commands against the underlying operating system or extracting data through out-of-band channels such as blind boolean-based or time-based inference techniques. The public disclosure of exploits means that automated scanning tools and malicious actors are likely already targeting instances of this software, increasing the urgency for remediation efforts across all deployments using this open-source solution.
Mitigation strategies must focus on immediate code-level fixes alongside broader security hardening practices. Developers should refactor the affected PHP script to utilize parameterized queries or prepared statements which separate SQL logic from data inputs thereby neutralizing injection attempts regardless of special characters present in user input. Additionally implementing strict type checking for integer fields like category IDs ensures that only valid numeric values are processed before reaching the database layer. Input validation routines using allowlists should be applied to restrict acceptable character sets and lengths preventing unexpected payloads from being transmitted through form submissions or AJAX calls.
Beyond immediate patching organizations deploying this system should enforce principle of least privilege by configuring the application's database account with minimal necessary permissions avoiding administrative rights that could escalate impact if compromised. Regular security audits using static analysis tools capable of detecting SQL injection patterns in PHP codebases will help identify similar vulnerabilities across other modules within the application framework. Updating to a patched version provided by SourceCodester or migrating to a more robust and actively maintained food ordering platform remains the most effective long-term solution given that open-source projects with limited maintenance cycles often lack ongoing security reviews necessary for production environments handling sensitive customer data.