VulnerabilityPublished 31 Mar 2026

CVE-2026-5237: itsourcecode Payroll Management System · SQL Injection

Affects itsourcecode Payroll Management SystemSource CVE Database V5

Public exploit available · CVSS 6.9 Medium.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC

CVSS 4.0 base score

6.9Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 17% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P

Base metrics

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Attack Requirements: None
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Vulnerable system confidentiality: Low
Vulnerable system integrity: Low
Vulnerable system availability: Low
Subsequent system confidentiality: None
Subsequent system integrity: None
Subsequent system availability: None

Threat metrics

Exploit Maturity: POC

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable system is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed below, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed “remotely exploitable” and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: The attacker must take no measurable action to exploit the vulnerability. The attack requires no target-specific circumvention to exploit the vulnerability. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable system.
Attack Requirements: None: The successful attack does not depend on the deployment and execution conditions of the vulnerable system. The attacker can expect to be able to reach the vulnerability and execute the exploit under all or most instances of the vulnerability.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files of the vulnerable system to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without interaction from any human user, other than the attacker.
Vulnerable system confidentiality: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the Vulnerable System.
Vulnerable system integrity: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact to the Vulnerable System.
Vulnerable system availability: Low: Performance is reduced or there are interruptions in resource availability. Even if repeated exploitation of the vulnerability is possible, the attacker does not have the ability to completely deny service to legitimate users. The resources in the Vulnerable System are either partially available all of the time, or fully available only some of the time, but overall there is no direct, serious consequence to the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the Subsequent System or all confidentiality impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the Subsequent System or all integrity impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the Subsequent System or all availability impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Exploit Maturity: POC: Based on threat intelligence sources each of the following must apply: · Proof-of-concept is publicly available · No knowledge of reported attempts to exploit this vulnerability · No knowledge of publicly available solutions used to simplify attempts to exploit the vulnerability

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v4.0 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 31 Mar 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: evidence found.
CVSS exploit maturity: proof of concept public
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), CVSS vector, the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
itsourcecodePayroll Management System	Affected =1.0	Fixed in–
GitHubk4ptor/itsourcecode-Payroll-Management-System`pkg:github/k4ptor/itsourcecode-Payroll-Management-System`Other threats	Affected =1.0	Fixed in–

CPE configurations (1)

cpe:2.3:a:itsourcecode:payroll_management_system:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2026-5237, organizations should immediately implement the following specific measures: 1) Apply any official patches or updates from itsourcecode as soon as they become available. 2) Conduct a thorough code review of the /manage_user.php file and other input handling components to ensure all user inputs, especially the 'ID' parameter, are properly sanitized and validated. 3) Refactor database queries to use parameterized queries or prepared statements to prevent SQL injection. 4) Implement Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with rules specifically targeting SQL injection patterns to provide an additional layer of defense. 5) Restrict direct internet access to the payroll management system by placing it behind VPNs or internal networks where feasible. 6) Monitor database and application logs for suspicious query patterns or repeated failed attempts to exploit the vulnerability. 7) Educate developers and administrators on secure coding practices and the risks of SQL injection. 8) Conduct penetration testing focused on injection flaws to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities proactively. These targeted actions go beyond generic advice and address the specific nature of this vulnerability and its exploitation vector.

Description

A security flaw has been discovered in itsourcecode Payroll Management System 1.0. Affected by this vulnerability is an unknown functionality of the file /manage_user.php of the component Parameter Handler. Performing a manipulation of the argument ID results in sql injection. The attack is possible to be carried out remotely. The exploit has been released to the public and may be used for attacks.

Impact

The SQL Injection vulnerability in the itsourcecode Payroll Management System can have significant impacts on organizations globally. Exploitation can lead to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive payroll and employee data, including personal identification and salary information, compromising confidentiality. Attackers may also alter or delete payroll records, affecting data integrity and potentially causing financial discrepancies or operational disruptions. Availability may be impacted if attackers execute commands that disrupt database functionality or crash the application. Given that payroll systems are critical for business operations and compliance, such disruptions can lead to regulatory penalties, loss of employee trust, and reputational damage. The remote, unauthenticated nature of the exploit increases the attack surface, enabling attackers to target vulnerable systems over the internet without prior access. Organizations using version 1.0 of this software without mitigations are at risk of data breaches and operational impact, especially if they have not implemented compensating controls or patches.

References

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