CVE-2026-25234
📋 TL;DR
This SQL injection vulnerability in PEAR's category deletion function allows attackers with category manager access to execute arbitrary SQL commands. It affects PEAR installations prior to version 1.33.0 where users have category management privileges.
💻 Affected Systems
- PEAR (PHP Extension and Application Repository)
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete database compromise including data theft, modification, or deletion; potential privilege escalation to system-level access.
Likely Case
Unauthorized data access or modification within the PEAR database, potentially affecting other users' packages or system integrity.
If Mitigated
Limited impact due to proper access controls and input validation preventing successful exploitation.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated access to category management functionality; SQL injection is typically straightforward to exploit.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.33.0
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/pear/pearweb/security/advisories/GHSA-q28j-3p7r-6722
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Backup your current PEAR installation and database. 2. Update PEAR using: pear upgrade pear. 3. Verify the version with: pear version. 4. Ensure version shows 1.33.0 or higher.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict Category Manager Access
allLimit category management privileges to only essential trusted users.
Input Validation Filter
allImplement additional input validation for category ID parameters before processing.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict input validation and parameterized queries for all category management functions.
- Apply network segmentation and restrict access to PEAR admin interfaces to trusted IP addresses only.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check PEAR version with: pear version | grep -i pear. If version is below 1.33.0, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
pear version | grep -i pearVerify Fix Applied:
Run: pear version and confirm output shows version 1.33.0 or higher.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual SQL queries in database logs
- Multiple failed category deletion attempts
- Suspicious category ID patterns in application logs
Network Indicators:
- Unusual traffic to category management endpoints
- SQL error messages in HTTP responses
SIEM Query:
source="*pear*" AND ("category" AND "delete") AND (sql OR injection OR error)