CVE-2026-23627
📋 TL;DR
An SQL injection vulnerability in OpenEMR's Immunization module allows authenticated users to execute arbitrary SQL queries by manipulating patient_id parameters. This affects all OpenEMR installations prior to version 8.0.0, potentially exposing sensitive patient health information and system credentials.
💻 Affected Systems
- OpenEMR
📦 What is this software?
Openemr by Open Emr
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete database compromise leading to PHI exfiltration, credential theft, privilege escalation, and potential remote code execution via database functions.
Likely Case
Unauthorized access to patient records, data exfiltration, and credential harvesting from database tables.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper network segmentation, database permissions, and monitoring detecting SQL injection attempts.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated access but is technically simple due to direct SQL concatenation. The advisory provides enough detail for attackers to craft exploits.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 8.0.0
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/openemr/openemr/security/advisories/GHSA-x3hw-rwrg-v25h
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Backup your OpenEMR installation and database. 2. Download OpenEMR 8.0.0 or later from the official repository. 3. Follow the OpenEMR upgrade documentation to apply the update. 4. Verify the patch by checking that patient_id parameters are now properly parameterized in SQL queries.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Immunization Module
allTemporarily disable access to the vulnerable Immunization module while awaiting patching.
# Modify OpenEMR configuration or access controls to restrict access to immunization functionality
Web Application Firewall Rules
allImplement WAF rules to block SQL injection patterns in patient_id parameters.
# Configure WAF to detect and block SQL injection patterns in POST/GET parameters
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict input validation and sanitization for all patient_id parameters at the application level.
- Apply database-level controls: restrict application database user permissions, implement query logging, and enable database intrusion detection.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Review the Immunization module source code for direct concatenation of patient_id into SQL queries without parameterization. Check if running version is below 8.0.0.Check Version:
Check the OpenEMR interface footer or examine the version.php file in the installation directory.Verify Fix Applied:
Verify that OpenEMR version is 8.0.0 or higher. Check that SQL queries in the Immunization module now use prepared statements with parameter binding.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual SQL query patterns in database logs
- Multiple failed login attempts followed by immunization module access
- Unexpected database schema changes or data exports
Network Indicators:
- Unusual SQL syntax in HTTP parameters
- Large data transfers from database server
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND (patient_id CONTAINS "UNION" OR patient_id CONTAINS "SELECT" OR patient_id CONTAINS "--")