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UNION SQL Injection in QueryView.php

Critical
DawoudIO published GHSA-qc2c-qmw4-52fp Dec 17, 2025

Package

churchcrm/churchcrm

Affected versions

<= 6.4.0

Patched versions

6.5.3

Description

Summary

A critical SQL Injection vulnerability exists in QueryView.php, part of the reporting functionality available under Data/Reports → Query Menu.

The vulnerability allows any authenticated low-privilege user, even one with all permissions disabled, to inject arbitrary SQL into stored query templates through the searchstring POST parameter.

This results in full database compromise, including extraction of administrator credentials.

Details

The vulnerable logic is located in src/QueryView.php.
When a stored query (e.g., Advanced Search, QueryID=15) is executed, user-supplied input is substituted directly into the SQL template via placeholder replacement.

Unsanitized POST assignment (lines 121–122):

default:
    $vPOST[$qrp_Alias] = $_POST[$qrp_Alias];   // ← fully unsanitized input
    break;

Raw, unsafe SQL substitution (lines 147–148):

$qrp_Value = is_array($vPOST[$qrp_Alias]) ? implode(',', $vPOST[$qrp_Alias]) : $vPOST[$qrp_Alias];
$qry_SQL = str_replace('~' . $qrp_Alias . '~', $qrp_Value, $qry_SQL);

No sanitization, escaping, or parameter binding is performed.
As a result, parameterized queries in Advanced Search become fully injectable using UNION-based SQL injection.

The default stored query identified as QueryID 15 is vulnerable and available to all low-privilege users.

Proof of Concept (PoC)

Prerequisites

Any authenticated user (permissions do not matter).

Example profile used during testing:

Admin: No
Add Records: No
Edit Records: No
Delete Records: No
Manage Groups: No
Manage Finance: No
Manage Notes: No

Step-by-Step Exploitation Flow

  1. Log in as a low-privilege user.
image
  1. Navigate via the sidebar: 
    Data/Reports → Query Menu
image
  1. Select Advanced Search.
    You are redirected to: 
    /QueryView.php?QueryID=15
  2. Enter any value (e.g., test), choose any field (e.g., Zip Code), then click Execute Query.
image
  1. Intercept the POST request in Burp Suite.
    The body looks like: 
    searchstring=test&searchwhat=fam_Zip&Submit=Execute+Query
  2. Replace the searchstring parameter with a UNION SQL injection payload: 
    searchstring=' UNION SELECT usr_UserName, usr_Password, usr_per_ID, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL FROM user_usr WHERE usr_per_ID=1 --
  3. Forward the request.

Result

The server responds with database rows containing administrator credentials:

Admin
$2y$12$e3o8rmvWUYdgzUNB/AAMK.pRvT9rwsIZx4wYB0brOmVPB1UL.HA5S
1
image

The bcrypt hash can be cracked offline.
image

SQLMap confirms the injection point as a UNION-based SQLi in a custom POST parameter.
image

Impact

This vulnerability allows full compromise of the ChurchCRM database by a minimally privileged user.

Attackers can:

  • Extract all user accounts and password hashes
  • Access, modify, or delete sensitive personal and financial records
  • Escalate privileges by cracking admin passwords
  • Fully compromise the ChurchCRM instance

Attribution

Reported by: Łukasz Rybak

Severity

Critical

CVSS overall score

This score calculates overall vulnerability severity from 0 to 10 and is based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
/ 10

CVSS v4 base metrics

Exploitability Metrics
Attack Vector Network
Attack Complexity Low
Attack Requirements None
Privileges Required None
User interaction None
Vulnerable System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality High
Integrity High
Availability High
Subsequent System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality None
Integrity None
Availability None

CVSS v4 base metrics

Exploitability Metrics
Attack Vector: This metric reflects the context by which vulnerability exploitation is possible. This metric value (and consequently the resulting severity) will be larger the more remote (logically, and physically) an attacker can be in order to exploit the vulnerable system. The assumption is that the number of potential attackers for a vulnerability that could be exploited from across a network is larger than the number of potential attackers that could exploit a vulnerability requiring physical access to a device, and therefore warrants a greater severity.
Attack Complexity: This metric captures measurable actions that must be taken by the attacker to actively evade or circumvent existing built-in security-enhancing conditions in order to obtain a working exploit. These are conditions whose primary purpose is to increase security and/or increase exploit engineering complexity. A vulnerability exploitable without a target-specific variable has a lower complexity than a vulnerability that would require non-trivial customization. This metric is meant to capture security mechanisms utilized by the vulnerable system.
Attack Requirements: This metric captures the prerequisite deployment and execution conditions or variables of the vulnerable system that enable the attack. These differ from security-enhancing techniques/technologies (ref Attack Complexity) as the primary purpose of these conditions is not to explicitly mitigate attacks, but rather, emerge naturally as a consequence of the deployment and execution of the vulnerable system.
Privileges Required: This metric describes the level of privileges an attacker must possess prior to successfully exploiting the vulnerability. The method by which the attacker obtains privileged credentials prior to the attack (e.g., free trial accounts), is outside the scope of this metric. Generally, self-service provisioned accounts do not constitute a privilege requirement if the attacker can grant themselves privileges as part of the attack.
User interaction: This metric captures the requirement for a human user, other than the attacker, to participate in the successful compromise of the vulnerable system. This metric determines whether the vulnerability can be exploited solely at the will of the attacker, or whether a separate user (or user-initiated process) must participate in some manner.
Vulnerable System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality: This metric measures the impact to the confidentiality of the information managed by the VULNERABLE SYSTEM due to a successfully exploited vulnerability. Confidentiality refers to limiting information access and disclosure to only authorized users, as well as preventing access by, or disclosure to, unauthorized ones.
Integrity: This metric measures the impact to integrity of a successfully exploited vulnerability. Integrity refers to the trustworthiness and veracity of information. Integrity of the VULNERABLE SYSTEM is impacted when an attacker makes unauthorized modification of system data. Integrity is also impacted when a system user can repudiate critical actions taken in the context of the system (e.g. due to insufficient logging).
Availability: This metric measures the impact to the availability of the VULNERABLE SYSTEM resulting from a successfully exploited vulnerability. While the Confidentiality and Integrity impact metrics apply to the loss of confidentiality or integrity of data (e.g., information, files) used by the system, this metric refers to the loss of availability of the impacted system itself, such as a networked service (e.g., web, database, email). Since availability refers to the accessibility of information resources, attacks that consume network bandwidth, processor cycles, or disk space all impact the availability of a system.
Subsequent System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality: This metric measures the impact to the confidentiality of the information managed by the SUBSEQUENT SYSTEM due to a successfully exploited vulnerability. Confidentiality refers to limiting information access and disclosure to only authorized users, as well as preventing access by, or disclosure to, unauthorized ones.
Integrity: This metric measures the impact to integrity of a successfully exploited vulnerability. Integrity refers to the trustworthiness and veracity of information. Integrity of the SUBSEQUENT SYSTEM is impacted when an attacker makes unauthorized modification of system data. Integrity is also impacted when a system user can repudiate critical actions taken in the context of the system (e.g. due to insufficient logging).
Availability: This metric measures the impact to the availability of the SUBSEQUENT SYSTEM resulting from a successfully exploited vulnerability. While the Confidentiality and Integrity impact metrics apply to the loss of confidentiality or integrity of data (e.g., information, files) used by the system, this metric refers to the loss of availability of the impacted system itself, such as a networked service (e.g., web, database, email). Since availability refers to the accessibility of information resources, attacks that consume network bandwidth, processor cycles, or disk space all impact the availability of a system.
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

CVE ID

No known CVE

Weaknesses

Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')

The product constructs all or part of an SQL command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended SQL command when it is sent to a downstream component. Without sufficient removal or quoting of SQL syntax in user-controllable inputs, the generated SQL query can cause those inputs to be interpreted as SQL instead of ordinary user data. Learn more on MITRE.

Credits