Summar Employee Portal 3.98.0 Vulnerable to Authenticated SQL Injection (CVE Pending)

Authenticated SQL Injection Discovered in Summar Employee Portal 3.98.0

Security researchers have identified an authenticated SQL injection (SQLi) vulnerability in Summar Employee Portal version 3.98.0, a widely used web-based platform for workforce management. The flaw, disclosed via Exploit Database (EDB-ID: 52462), allows authenticated users to execute arbitrary SQL queries, potentially leading to unauthorized database access, data exfiltration, or manipulation.

Technical Details

The vulnerability resides in the application’s input validation mechanisms, where user-supplied data is insufficiently sanitized before being incorporated into SQL queries. Authenticated attackers can exploit this flaw by injecting malicious SQL payloads into vulnerable parameters, bypassing security controls to interact directly with the backend database.

At the time of disclosure, no CVE ID has been assigned to this vulnerability. However, the exploit code is publicly available, increasing the risk of active exploitation by threat actors targeting unpatched systems.

Impact Analysis

Successful exploitation of this SQLi vulnerability could result in:

• Unauthorized data access, including sensitive employee records, credentials, or personally identifiable information (PII).
• Database manipulation, such as altering, deleting, or inserting records.
• Privilege escalation, if the database contains user roles or administrative credentials.
• Lateral movement, enabling attackers to pivot to other systems within the network.

Given the portal’s role in managing employee data, the flaw poses a significant risk to organizations relying on Summar Employee Portal for HR and workforce operations.

Recommendations

Security teams and administrators are urged to take the following steps:

1. Apply Patches: Monitor the vendor’s official channels for updates and apply patches immediately upon release.
2. Restrict Access: Limit portal access to authorized personnel only and enforce strict network segmentation to minimize exposure.
3. Input Validation: Implement additional server-side input validation and parameterized queries to mitigate SQLi risks.
4. Monitor for Exploitation: Deploy intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS) to detect and block suspicious SQL queries or anomalous database activity.
5. Review Database Logs: Audit database logs for unusual queries or unauthorized access attempts, particularly from authenticated users.

Organizations using Summar Employee Portal 3.98.0 should prioritize remediation efforts to prevent potential breaches. Further updates will be provided as the vendor releases patches or additional mitigation guidance.