CVE-2025-10102: Online Event Judging System SQLi Flaw

CVE-2025-10102 Overview

A SQL injection vulnerability has been discovered in Carmelo Online Event Judging System version 1.0. This security flaw affects the /index.php file, where manipulation of the Username argument allows attackers to inject malicious SQL queries. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable and an exploit has been publicly disclosed, increasing the risk of active exploitation in the wild.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can remotely exploit this SQL injection vulnerability to bypass authentication, extract sensitive data from the database, modify or delete records, and potentially achieve further system compromise.

Affected Products

• Carmelo Online Event Judging System 1.0

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-09-08 - CVE-2025-10102 published to NVD
• 2025-11-13 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-10102

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL injection vulnerability exists in the login functionality of the Online Event Judging System. The application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input in the Username parameter before incorporating it into SQL queries. This allows attackers to inject arbitrary SQL code that executes in the context of the database, potentially compromising the entire application's data integrity and confidentiality.

The vulnerability is classified under CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component), which encompasses injection flaws where user input is not properly validated before being processed by an interpreter.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is insufficient input validation and lack of parameterized queries in the /index.php authentication handler. When processing login requests, the application directly concatenates user-supplied Username values into SQL statements without proper sanitization or the use of prepared statements. This classic injection pattern allows attackers to manipulate the query logic by inserting SQL metacharacters and additional query clauses.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, requiring no authentication or user interaction. An attacker can craft malicious HTTP requests to the /index.php endpoint with specially crafted Username parameter values. The injection point allows for various SQL injection techniques including:

• Authentication bypass - Injecting SQL logic to bypass login verification
• Union-based extraction - Retrieving data from other database tables
• Error-based extraction - Using database error messages to exfiltrate data
• Time-based blind injection - Inferring data through response timing differences

The vulnerability can be exploited by sending crafted POST requests to the login endpoint with malicious SQL payloads in the Username field. Techniques such as using single quotes to break out of string literals, boolean-based conditions, or UNION SELECT statements can be leveraged to extract database contents or manipulate application behavior.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-10102

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual login attempts containing SQL metacharacters such as single quotes, double dashes, or semicolons in the Username field
• Web server logs showing requests to /index.php with encoded SQL keywords like UNION, SELECT, OR, AND, DROP, or INSERT
• Database logs indicating syntax errors or unexpected query patterns originating from the application
• Evidence of data exfiltration or unauthorized database access in application audit logs

Detection Strategies

• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block common SQL injection patterns targeting the Username parameter
• Implement application-level logging to capture and alert on authentication attempts with suspicious input patterns
• Configure database query logging to identify malformed or unauthorized SQL statements
• Use intrusion detection systems (IDS) to monitor for SQL injection attack signatures in HTTP traffic

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable comprehensive access logging on web servers hosting the Online Event Judging System
• Monitor authentication failure rates for anomalous spikes that may indicate automated injection attempts
• Set up alerts for database errors that could indicate active exploitation attempts
• Review and audit logs regularly for patterns consistent with SQL injection reconnaissance or exploitation

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-10102

Immediate Actions Required

• Remove the Online Event Judging System from public network access until a patch is available or mitigations are applied
• Implement input validation to reject Username values containing SQL metacharacters
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall with SQL injection protection rules in front of the vulnerable application
• Review database access logs for signs of prior exploitation and assess potential data compromise

Patch Information

As of the last NVD update on 2025-11-13, no official vendor patch has been released for this vulnerability. Organizations using Carmelo Online Event Judging System 1.0 should contact the vendor through the Code Projects website for remediation guidance. Additional technical details are available in the GitHub CVE Issue Thread and VulDB #323068.

Workarounds

• Implement prepared statements or parameterized queries in the /index.php authentication code to prevent SQL injection
• Apply strict input validation on the Username field, rejecting any input containing SQL metacharacters or exceeding expected length
• Restrict network access to the application using firewall rules, limiting connections to trusted IP addresses only
• Consider replacing the vulnerable application with a more secure alternative if the vendor does not provide timely remediation

Organizations should modify the authentication code to use parameterized queries. For PHP applications using MySQLi, this involves preparing SQL statements with placeholders and binding user input as parameters rather than concatenating values directly into query strings. This approach ensures that user input is treated as data rather than executable SQL code.