CVE-2026-72609
Received Received - Intake

Koha SQL Injection via orderby Parameter

Publication date: 2026-08-11

Last updated on: 2026-08-11

Assigner: 309f9ea4-e3e9-4c6c-b79d-e8eb01244f2c

Description
An SQL injection vulnerability in Koha through 24.11.17, 25.05.12, 25.11.06, and 26.05.01 allows authenticated staff with the acquisition => order_receive permission to read arbitrary database contents via the orderby request parameter in acqui/parcels.pl. The parameter is passed to C4::Acquisition::GetInvoices, which allow-lists the column name but concatenates the direction token raw into the SQL ORDER BY clause without validation. Exploitation is blind (time-based) in production and allows extraction of patron PII, staff bcrypt password hashes, and two-factor secrets.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-08-11
Last Modified
2026-08-11
Generated
2026-08-11
AI Q&A
2026-08-11
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-72609
EUVD
EUVD-2026-56130

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 4 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
koha koha 24.11.17
koha koha 25.05.12
koha koha 25.11.06
koha koha 26.05.01

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-89 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.

Attack-Flow Graph

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Executive Summary

This is an SQL injection vulnerability in Koha library software versions up to 26.05.01. It allows authenticated staff with specific permissions to manipulate database queries via the orderby parameter in acqui/parcels.pl. The vulnerability occurs because user input is concatenated directly into an SQL ORDER BY clause without proper validation.

Detection Guidance

To detect this SQL injection vulnerability in Koha, monitor for unusual database queries targeting the acqui/parcels.pl endpoint. Check logs for requests with the orderby parameter containing SQL keywords like ORDER BY, UNION, or time-based delays. Inspect Koha's Apache/Nginx access logs for suspicious parameters.

Impact Analysis

An attacker could exploit this to read sensitive database contents including patron personally identifiable information, staff bcrypt password hashes, and two-factor authentication secrets. The attack is blind (time-based) meaning it may not produce visible errors but can still extract data through timing differences.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access to protected health information or personal data, violating GDPR and HIPAA requirements for data protection and access controls. Organizations may face compliance violations, fines, and reputational damage if exploited.

Mitigation Strategies

Immediately upgrade Koha to the latest patched version (24.11.18, 25.05.13, 25.11.07, or 26.05.02). If upgrading is not possible, apply a temporary patch to validate and sanitize the orderby parameter in C4::Acquisition::GetInvoices. Restrict staff permissions to only necessary acquisition functions.

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