📄 Description (English)
phpTransformer 2016.9 contains an SQL injection vulnerability that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL queries by injecting malicious code through the idnews parameter. Attackers can send crafted GET requests to GeneratePDF.php with SQL payloads in the idnews parameter to extract sensitive database information or manipulate queries.
🤖 AI Executive Summary
CVE-2019-25578 is a critical SQL injection vulnerability in phpTransformer 2016.9 affecting the GeneratePDF.php endpoint through the idnews parameter. With a CVSS score of 8.2 and publicly available exploits, attackers can execute arbitrary SQL queries to extract sensitive database information or manipulate data. No official patch is available, making immediate mitigation through application retirement or compensating controls essential for Saudi organizations.
📄 Description (Arabic)
🤖 AI Intelligence Analysis Analyzed: Apr 25, 2026 11:34
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Impact Assessment
This vulnerability poses significant risk to Saudi government agencies, healthcare institutions, and private sector organizations using phpTransformer for document generation and reporting. Banking sector (SAMA-regulated entities) and telecommunications companies (STC, Mobily) are at elevated risk if using this legacy application for customer-facing services. Government entities under NCA oversight and healthcare providers under MOH regulations face compliance violations if customer/patient data is compromised. Energy sector organizations and ARAMCO subsidiaries using this for operational reporting could face data exfiltration risks.
🏢 Affected Saudi Sectors
Government
Banking
Healthcare
Energy
Telecommunications
Education
Insurance
🎯 MITRE ATT&CK Techniques
⚖️ Saudi Risk Score (AI)
8.7
/ 10.0
🔧 Remediation Steps (English)
IMMEDIATE ACTIONS:
1. Identify all instances of phpTransformer 2016.9 in your environment using network scanning and asset inventory tools
2. Isolate affected systems from production networks or disable public access to GeneratePDF.php immediately
3. Review database access logs for suspicious SQL patterns in the idnews parameter (look for UNION, SELECT, OR 1=1, etc.)
4. Conduct forensic analysis to determine if exploitation has occurred
PATCHING GUIDANCE:
1. Since no official patch exists, prioritize application retirement and migration to supported alternatives
2. If immediate replacement is not possible, implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to block SQL injection patterns in the idnews parameter
3. Deploy input validation: whitelist only numeric values for idnews parameter, reject any non-numeric input
COMPENSATING CONTROLS:
1. Implement database-level access controls: restrict database user privileges to minimum required permissions
2. Enable SQL query logging and monitoring for suspicious patterns
3. Apply network segmentation to limit database access from GeneratePDF.php
4. Implement rate limiting on GeneratePDF.php endpoint
5. Deploy IDS/IPS signatures to detect SQL injection attempts
DETECTION RULES:
1. Monitor HTTP GET requests to GeneratePDF.php with idnews parameter containing: quotes, semicolons, SQL keywords (UNION, SELECT, INSERT, DELETE, DROP, OR, AND)
2. Alert on database error messages returned in HTTP responses
3. Track unusual database query patterns from the application user account
4. Monitor for data exfiltration patterns (large result sets, multiple rapid queries)
🔧 خطوات المعالجة (العربية)
الإجراءات الفورية:
1. تحديد جميع حالات phpTransformer 2016.9 في بيئتك باستخدام أدوات المسح والجرد
2. عزل الأنظمة المتأثرة عن شبكات الإنتاج أو تعطيل الوصول العام إلى GeneratePDF.php فوراً
3. مراجعة سجلات الوصول إلى قاعدة البيانات للبحث عن أنماط SQL مريبة في معامل idnews
4. إجراء تحليل جنائي لتحديد ما إذا تم استغلال الثغرة
إرشادات التصحيح:
1. نظراً لعدم وجود تصحيح رسمي، أولوية الهجرة والاستبدال بتطبيقات مدعومة
2. إذا لم يكن الاستبدال الفوري ممكناً، قم بتنفيذ قواعد جدار حماية تطبيقات الويب لحجب أنماط حقن SQL
3. نشر التحقق من الإدخال: السماح فقط بالقيم الرقمية لمعامل idnews، رفض أي إدخال غير رقمي
الضوابط البديلة:
1. تنفيذ ضوابط الوصول على مستوى قاعدة البيانات: تقييد امتيازات مستخدم قاعدة البيانات
2. تفعيل تسجيل وتراقبة استعلامات SQL للأنماط المريبة
3. تطبيق تقسيم الشبكة لتحديد الوصول إلى قاعدة البيانات
4. تنفيذ تحديد معدل على نقطة نهاية GeneratePDF.php
5. نشر توقيعات IDS/IPS للكشف عن محاولات حقن SQL
قواعد الكشف:
1. مراقبة طلبات HTTP GET إلى GeneratePDF.php التي تحتوي على أنماط SQL مريبة
2. التنبيه على رسائل خطأ قاعدة البيانات المرجعة
3. تتبع أنماط استعلامات قاعدة البيانات غير العادية
4. مراقبة أنماط تسرب البيانات
📋 Regulatory Compliance Mapping
🟢 NCA ECC 2024
ECC 2024 A.14.2.1 - Information security requirements for supplier relationships
ECC 2024 A.12.6.1 - Management of technical vulnerabilities
ECC 2024 A.12.2.1 - Establishment of information security baselines
ECC 2024 A.5.1.1 - Policies for information security
🔵 SAMA CSF
SAMA CSF ID.GV-1 - Organizational governance and risk management
SAMA CSF PR.DS-1 - Data security and protection
SAMA CSF DE.CM-1 - Detection and monitoring of anomalies
SAMA CSF RC.RP-1 - Recovery planning and processes
🟡 ISO 27001:2022
ISO 27001:2022 A.5.1 - Policies for information security
ISO 27001:2022 A.8.1 - User endpoint devices
ISO 27001:2022 A.12.6 - Management of technical vulnerabilities
ISO 27001:2022 A.14.2 - Supplier relationship information security
🟣 PCI DSS v4.0.1
PCI DSS 6.2 - Security patches and updates
PCI DSS 6.5.1 - SQL injection prevention
PCI DSS 11.2 - Vulnerability scanning
🔗 References & Sources 4
🔗
http://phptransformer.com/
disclosure@vulncheck.com
Product
🔗
https://netcologne.dl.sourceforge.net/project/phptransformer/Version%202016.9/release_2...
disclosure@vulncheck.com
Broken Link
🔗
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/46191
disclosure@vulncheck.com
Exploit
VDB Entry
🔗
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/phptransformer-sql-injection-via-generatepdf-php
disclosure@vulncheck.com
Third Party Advisory
📦 Affected Products / CPE 1 entries
codnloc:phptransformer:2016.9