CVE-2026-1480 identifies a critical SQL injection vulnerability classified under CWE-89 in the Quatuor Evaluación de Desempeño (EDD) application, a performance evaluation tool developed by Gabinete Técnico de Programación. The vulnerability exists in the 'Id_usuario' parameter of the '/evaluacion_objetivos_anyo_sig_evalua.aspx' page, where improper neutralization of special SQL elements allows an attacker to inject malicious SQL commands. This is an out-of-band (OOB) SQL injection, meaning the attacker can extract sensitive information from the backend database through external communication channels rather than direct application responses, making detection more difficult. The vulnerability affects all versions of the product and requires no authentication or user interaction, increasing its risk profile. The CVSS 4.0 score of 9.3 reflects its critical severity, with network attack vector, low attack complexity, and no privileges or user interaction needed. The impact primarily compromises confidentiality by enabling unauthorized data extraction, potentially exposing sensitive employee or organizational performance data. Although no public exploits are currently known, the vulnerability's characteristics make it a prime target for attackers seeking to leverage OOB channels to bypass traditional detection mechanisms. The lack of available patches necessitates immediate mitigation through secure coding practices, such as parameterized queries and rigorous input validation, alongside network-level controls to monitor and restrict suspicious outbound traffic that could be used for data exfiltration.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2026-1480 is significant due to the sensitive nature of performance evaluation data, which may include personal employee information, performance metrics, and potentially confidential organizational insights. A successful exploit could lead to unauthorized disclosure of this data, violating GDPR and other data protection regulations, resulting in legal penalties and reputational damage. The out-of-band nature of the SQL injection complicates detection and response, increasing the risk of prolonged undetected data exfiltration. Public sector entities and large enterprises using Quatuor's EDD system are particularly vulnerable, as attackers may target these organizations to gain strategic intelligence or conduct espionage. Additionally, the critical severity and ease of exploitation mean that attackers can rapidly compromise systems without needing credentials or user interaction, potentially leading to widespread breaches if not addressed promptly.

1. Implement immediate input validation and sanitization on the 'Id_usuario' parameter to reject or properly escape special SQL characters. 2. Refactor database access code to use parameterized queries or prepared statements, eliminating direct concatenation of user input into SQL commands. 3. Deploy Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) configured to detect and block SQL injection patterns, especially those targeting the vulnerable endpoint. 4. Monitor outbound network traffic for unusual connections or data flows indicative of out-of-band data exfiltration attempts, using network intrusion detection systems (NIDS). 5. Conduct thorough code reviews and security testing (including dynamic and static analysis) to identify and remediate similar injection points. 6. Engage with the vendor or development team to obtain patches or updates as soon as they become available. 7. Restrict database permissions to the minimum necessary, limiting the potential impact of any injection exploit. 8. Educate developers and administrators on secure coding practices and the risks of SQL injection vulnerabilities. 9. Consider network segmentation to isolate critical systems and reduce the attack surface. 10. Prepare incident response plans specifically addressing OOB SQL injection scenarios to enable rapid containment and remediation.