CVE-2026-92692 in Sulu
Summary
by MITRE • 09/23/2026
Sulu is an open-source PHP content management system based on the Symfony framework. Prior to 2.6.25 and 3.0.8, the affected Sulu 2.6 and 3.0 release lines have a Smart Content QueryBuilder in src/Sulu/Component/Content/SmartContent/QueryBuilder.php that concatenates category identifiers from the public categories query parameter into a JCR-SQL2 WHERE clause without numeric validation. On a public page containing a category-filtered Smart Content block, an unauthenticated attacker can alter query conditions to infer or enumerate content-repository nodes, including unpublished content, or submit malformed and expensive query fragments that degrade availability; this path does not modify repository data. This issue is fixed in versions 2.6.25 and 3.0.8.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/23/2026
Sulu is an open-source PHP-based content management system built upon the Symfony framework, widely utilized for managing digital assets and web content. A significant security vulnerability was identified within the Smart Content QueryBuilder component located in src/Sulu/Component/Content/SmartContent/QueryBuilder.php across Sulu versions 2.6 prior to 2.6.25 and version 3.0 prior to 3.0.8. This flaw stems from an improper validation of user-supplied input, specifically regarding the categories query parameter used in public-facing pages that feature category-filtered Smart Content blocks. The core technical deficiency lies in the system's failure to enforce numeric validation on category identifiers before they are concatenated into a JCR-SQL2 WHERE clause. By directly incorporating these unvalidated inputs into database queries, the application creates an injection vector that allows external actors to manipulate query logic.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is multifaceted, primarily affecting confidentiality and availability rather than integrity or authentication bypass in terms of direct data modification. An unauthenticated attacker can exploit this flaw by crafting malicious category parameters to alter the conditions under which content queries are executed. This capability enables the inference and enumeration of nodes within the content repository. Crucially, because JCR-SQL2 is used for querying the repository, successful exploitation allows an attacker to retrieve metadata or snippets of unpublished content that should remain inaccessible to public users. This represents a severe breach of confidentiality as it exposes internal data structures and potentially sensitive draft materials through side-channel information leakage based on query responses.
Beyond information disclosure, this vulnerability also poses a risk to system availability due to the potential for submitting malformed and computationally expensive query fragments. By injecting complex or deeply nested logical conditions via the categories parameter, an attacker can force the database engine to perform resource-intensive operations. This leads to denial of service conditions where server resources are exhausted, causing performance degradation or complete unavailability of the web application for legitimate users. The attack path is particularly dangerous because it requires no authentication and targets public-facing endpoints, making it easily exploitable by automated scanning tools or malicious actors seeking to disrupt services or extract sensitive data without prior access credentials.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-89, which describes Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command, commonly known as SQL Injection. Although JCR-SQL2 is a specific query language for Java Content Repository implementations rather than traditional relational databases, the principle remains identical: user input is treated as executable code within a query structure without sufficient sanitization or parameterization. Furthermore, from a tactical perspective related to MITRE ATT&CK, this behavior corresponds to techniques involving Data Staged and Potential Reconnaissance activities where an attacker gathers information about the system's data structures and content organization through indirect means such as error-based or time-based inference derived from query manipulation.
To mitigate this vulnerability, organizations running affected versions of Sulu must immediately upgrade to version 2.6.25 or later for the 2.6 branch, or version 3.0.8 and later for the 3.0 branch. These releases contain patches that enforce strict numeric validation on category identifiers before they are processed by the QueryBuilder component. In addition to upgrading, administrators should implement Web Application Firewall rules that detect and block anomalous query patterns associated with SQL injection attempts, particularly those targeting smart content parameters. Regular security audits focusing on input validation practices within Symfony-based applications can further reduce the risk of similar flaws emerging in custom modules or extensions integrated into the Sulu ecosystem.