CVE-2025-50191
Published: 02 March 2026
Summary
CVE-2025-50191 is a high-severity SQL Injection (CWE-89) vulnerability in Chamilo Chamilo Lms. Its CVSS base score is 7.0 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked at the 16.7th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 SI-10 (Information Input Validation) and SI-2 (Flaw Remediation).
Deeper analysis
CVE-2025-50191 is an error-based SQL injection vulnerability in Chamilo, an open-source learning management system. The flaw affects versions prior to 1.11.30 and is triggered through the POST parameter "userFile" in the /main/exercise/hotpotatoes.php script. Classified under CWE-89 with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.2 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H), it enables attackers to inject malicious SQL queries, potentially exposing or manipulating backend database contents.
Exploitation requires network access and high-privilege authentication (PR:H), such as administrative or teacher roles with access to the affected exercise module. Attackers face low complexity with no user interaction needed, allowing them to achieve high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized data extraction, modification, or deletion within the Chamilo database, potentially compromising sensitive user information, course data, or enabling further system escalation.
The vulnerability has been addressed in Chamilo version 1.11.30, as detailed in the project's GitHub security advisory (GHSA-82qx-25j7-5639), release notes, and the patching commit. Security practitioners should prioritize upgrading affected Chamilo instances to 1.11.30 or later to mitigate the issue, and review access controls on the hotpotatoes.php endpoint in the interim.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2025-208160
Vulnerability details
Chamilo is a learning management system. Prior to version 1.11.30, there is an error-based SQL Injection via POST userFile with the /main/exercise/hotpotatoes.php script. This issue has been patched in version 1.11.30.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
SQL injection in public-facing web app directly enables DB data access/manipulation via T1213.006 and exploitation of the application per T1190 (auth required but still applies).
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Directly requires validation of userFile input to block malicious SQL syntax before it reaches the database query in hotpotatoes.php.
Mandates timely application of the vendor patch (v1.11.30) that eliminates the SQL injection flaw in the exercise module.
Requires suppression of verbose database error messages that enable the error-based SQL injection technique used in this CVE.