CVE-2026-90789 in Leave Management System
Summary
by MITRE • 09/14/2026
A weakness has been identified in itsourcecode Leave Management System 1.0. Affected by this issue is some unknown functionality of the file /login.php. Executing a manipulation of the argument user_email can lead to sql injection. The attack may be launched remotely. The exploit has been made available to the public and could be used for attacks.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/14/2026
The itsourcecode Leave Management System version 1.0 contains a critical security flaw within its authentication module, specifically located in the login.php file. This vulnerability stems from improper input validation and sanitization practices when processing user-supplied data. The system fails to adequately filter or escape special characters before incorporating them into SQL queries used for authenticating users against the backend database. As a result, an attacker can manipulate the user_email argument to inject arbitrary SQL commands directly into the application's query logic. This type of flaw is classically categorized under CWE-89, which defines Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command, commonly known as SQL Injection. The root cause lies in the developer's reliance on direct variable interpolation within database queries rather than utilizing parameterized statements or prepared statements that separate code from data effectively.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to its remote exploitability and the nature of the affected functionality. Since the flaw resides in the login mechanism, it allows for authentication bypass attacks where an attacker can log into the application as any existing user without knowing their password by manipulating the SQL query structure. Furthermore, beyond simple access control evasion, a successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized data disclosure, allowing attackers to extract sensitive information such as employee records, leave balances, and potentially hashed passwords stored in the database. In more advanced scenarios involving stacked queries or specific database configurations like MySQL with certain privileges, this vulnerability could facilitate remote code execution or complete compromise of the underlying server infrastructure. The fact that public exploits are available significantly lowers the barrier to entry for malicious actors, increasing the likelihood of automated scanning and widespread attacks against instances running this unpatched software.
From a threat intelligence perspective, this vulnerability aligns with several techniques outlined in the MITRE ATT&CK framework. It directly relates to T1059, Command and Scripting Interpreter, specifically when SQL commands are used to execute further actions on the database server. Additionally, it falls under T1136, Create Account, if an attacker creates a new administrative user through injection, or more commonly T1078, Valid Accounts, via authentication bypass. The availability of public exploits means that threat actors can leverage automated tools like SQLMap to rapidly identify and exploit this weakness across multiple targets on the internet. This situation highlights the risks associated with open-source projects developed by independent contributors who may lack rigorous security review processes or adherence to secure coding standards such as OWASP Top 10, which explicitly lists Injection vulnerabilities as a primary concern for web application developers.
To mitigate this vulnerability and prevent similar issues in future development cycles, immediate remediation is required on the affected systems. The most effective technical fix involves refactoring the login.php file to use prepared statements with parameterized queries provided by modern database interaction libraries such as PDO or MySQLi in PHP environments. This ensures that user input is treated strictly as data and never as executable code within SQL commands. Additionally, implementing strict input validation on all entry points can provide a defense-in-depth layer, although it should not be relied upon solely for security. For organizations currently running this version of the Leave Management System, upgrading to a patched version if available or migrating to a more secure alternative is strongly recommended. Temporary mitigations include deploying Web Application Firewalls configured with rulesets capable of detecting and blocking SQL injection patterns in HTTP requests targeting login endpoints, although such measures are less reliable than code-level fixes. Regular security audits and static application security testing should be integrated into the development lifecycle to catch these flaws before deployment.