CVE-2025-1023: ChurchCRM SQL Injection Vulnerability

CVE-2025-1023 Overview

A critical time-based blind SQL Injection vulnerability exists in ChurchCRM 5.13.0 and prior versions. The vulnerability resides in the EditEventTypes functionality where the newCountName parameter is directly concatenated into an SQL query without proper sanitization. This allows an authenticated attacker with high privileges to manipulate database queries and execute arbitrary SQL commands through network-accessible endpoints.

Critical Impact

Successful exploitation allows attackers to exfiltrate, modify, or delete sensitive church member data, financial records, and other confidential information stored in the ChurchCRM database.

Affected Products

• ChurchCRM versions 5.13.0 and prior
• All ChurchCRM installations using the EditEventTypes functionality
• ChurchCRM deployments accessible via network

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-02-18 - CVE-2025-1023 published to NVD
• 2025-02-21 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-1023

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-89 (SQL Injection), one of the most dangerous web application security flaws. The EditEventTypes functionality in ChurchCRM fails to implement proper input validation and parameterized queries when handling the newCountName parameter. Instead of using prepared statements or proper escaping mechanisms, the application directly concatenates user-supplied input into SQL queries.

The time-based blind nature of this SQL injection means that attackers cannot directly observe the results of their injected queries in the application response. Instead, they must infer information by crafting SQL payloads that cause deliberate time delays when certain conditions are true. This technique, while slower than direct SQL injection, remains highly effective for data extraction and database manipulation.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the improper handling of user input in the EditEventTypes functionality. The newCountName parameter is passed directly to the SQL query builder without sanitization, parameterization, or proper escaping. This fundamental coding error violates secure development best practices that mandate the use of prepared statements or parameterized queries for all database interactions involving user-supplied data.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-based and requires an authenticated attacker with high-level privileges to access the EditEventTypes functionality. Once authenticated, the attacker can craft malicious SQL payloads within the newCountName parameter to perform time-based inference attacks against the underlying database.

An attacker would typically inject SQL statements containing time-delay functions such as SLEEP() (MySQL) or WAITFOR DELAY (SQL Server) to determine if their injected conditions evaluate to true. By systematically querying character-by-character, attackers can extract sensitive database contents including usernames, password hashes, financial data, and personal member information.

The vulnerability allows for:

• Data exfiltration through time-based inference
• Arbitrary data modification or deletion
• Potential database server compromise depending on database configuration
• Lateral movement if database credentials are reused

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-1023

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual time delays in HTTP responses from ChurchCRM EditEventTypes endpoints
• Abnormal database query execution times logged in database slow query logs
• Multiple requests to EditEventTypes with unusual or encoded characters in the newCountName parameter
• Database errors or anomalies related to SQL syntax in application logs

Detection Strategies

• Monitor web application logs for requests containing SQL injection keywords such as SLEEP, WAITFOR, BENCHMARK, or UNION SELECT in the newCountName parameter
• Implement database activity monitoring to detect unusual query patterns or extended query execution times
• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block common SQL injection payloads
• Enable and review database audit logging for suspicious query patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure alerting for HTTP requests to EditEventTypes endpoints with abnormal response times exceeding typical thresholds
• Implement real-time log analysis for SQL injection indicators in web server and application logs
• Monitor database connection patterns for unusual activity from the ChurchCRM application user account
• Review access logs for repeated attempts to access the EditEventTypes functionality with varying parameters

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-1023

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict network access to ChurchCRM installations to trusted IP ranges only
• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to filter SQL injection attempts targeting the newCountName parameter
• Review and audit database user privileges to ensure least-privilege principles are applied
• Enable detailed logging on the ChurchCRM application and underlying database for forensic analysis

Patch Information

At the time of publication, users should monitor the ChurchCRM GitHub Issue Tracker for official patch releases addressing this vulnerability. Organizations running ChurchCRM should regularly check for updates and apply security patches as soon as they become available.

Workarounds

• Implement a Web Application Firewall with SQL injection detection rules in front of ChurchCRM deployments
• Restrict access to the EditEventTypes functionality to only essential administrative users
• Consider disabling or removing the EditEventTypes functionality if not operationally required until a patch is available
• Apply network segmentation to isolate ChurchCRM from sensitive internal systems

# Example: Restrict access to ChurchCRM via iptables
# Only allow connections from trusted administrative IP addresses
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -s 192.168.1.0/24 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -s 192.168.1.0/24 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -j DROP
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j DROP