CVE-2020-26546 is a high-severity SQL injection vulnerability discovered in HelpDeskZ version 1.0.2, specifically affecting the 'RememberMe' auto-login feature. This vulnerability allows an unauthenticated attacker to inject malicious SQL code via the RememberMe functionality, which is designed to automatically log in users without requiring credentials on each visit. The injection flaw can be exploited remotely without any user interaction or privileges, as indicated by the CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N). The impact is primarily on confidentiality, as the vulnerability allows attackers to extract sensitive data from the backend database. The integrity and availability impacts are not indicated, suggesting the injection is read-only or limited to data disclosure. Notably, this vulnerability affects a product that is no longer supported by its maintainer, meaning no official patches or updates are available to remediate the issue. HelpDeskZ is an open-source help desk ticketing system, and version 1.0.2 is an older release. The lack of vendor support increases the risk for organizations still running this software, as they must rely on custom mitigations or migration to newer, supported platforms. No known exploits have been reported in the wild, but the ease of exploitation and high impact on confidentiality make this a significant threat for affected deployments.

For European organizations using HelpDeskZ 1.0.2, this vulnerability poses a serious risk to the confidentiality of customer support data, internal communications, and potentially sensitive user information stored within the help desk system. Unauthorized access to such data could lead to privacy violations under GDPR, reputational damage, and potential regulatory penalties. Since the vulnerability requires no authentication and no user interaction, attackers can remotely exploit it to extract data stealthily. Organizations relying on HelpDeskZ for customer support or internal ticketing may face data breaches that compromise both customer and employee information. The lack of vendor support complicates remediation, increasing the window of exposure. Additionally, if attackers gain access to sensitive support tickets, they could leverage this information for further targeted attacks or social engineering campaigns within European enterprises.

Given the absence of official patches due to discontinued support, European organizations should prioritize the following mitigations: 1) Immediate migration to a supported and actively maintained help desk solution to eliminate exposure to this vulnerability. 2) If migration is not immediately feasible, disable the 'RememberMe' auto-login feature in HelpDeskZ to prevent exploitation of the vulnerable code path. 3) Implement web application firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block SQL injection attempts targeting the RememberMe functionality. 4) Conduct thorough code reviews and consider applying community-developed patches or custom fixes that sanitize inputs related to the RememberMe feature. 5) Restrict network access to the HelpDeskZ application to trusted internal IP ranges to reduce exposure to external attackers. 6) Monitor logs for suspicious activity indicative of SQL injection attempts and unauthorized data access. 7) Ensure regular backups of help desk data are maintained securely to enable recovery in case of compromise.