CVE-2025-10663: PHPGurukul Course Registration SQLi Flaw

CVE-2025-10663 Overview

A SQL Injection vulnerability has been identified in PHPGurukul Online Course Registration version 3.1. This vulnerability exists in the /my-profile.php file where the cgpa parameter is not properly sanitized, allowing attackers to inject malicious SQL queries. The attack can be initiated remotely without authentication, potentially compromising the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the database.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this SQL Injection vulnerability to extract sensitive data, modify database records, or potentially compromise the underlying server through database manipulation techniques.

Affected Products

• PHPGurukul Online Course Registration 3.1

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-09-18 - CVE-2025-10663 published to NVD
• 2025-09-20 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-10663

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL Injection vulnerability (CWE-74: Injection) affects the user profile functionality in PHPGurukul Online Course Registration. The vulnerable endpoint /my-profile.php accepts user-supplied input through the cgpa parameter without proper input validation or parameterized queries. When a user submits data to update their profile, the application directly concatenates the cgpa value into SQL queries, creating an injection point that attackers can exploit.

The vulnerability allows network-based attacks with low complexity, requiring no privileges or user interaction. An attacker can leverage this flaw to bypass authentication mechanisms, extract sensitive student and course information, modify grades or enrollment data, or potentially achieve further system compromise depending on database permissions.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper input validation and the use of unsanitized user input directly in SQL queries. The application fails to implement prepared statements or parameterized queries when processing the cgpa argument in /my-profile.php. This classic SQL Injection pattern occurs when developers concatenate user-controlled data into SQL statements without proper escaping or binding.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, allowing remote exploitation. An authenticated or unauthenticated attacker (depending on application access controls) can send a crafted HTTP request to /my-profile.php with a malicious payload in the cgpa parameter. The attacker can use standard SQL Injection techniques such as UNION-based extraction, error-based enumeration, or time-based blind injection to interact with the backend database.

The exploitation path involves sending specially crafted values in the cgpa field that break out of the intended SQL query context and execute arbitrary SQL commands. Since the exploit has been publicly disclosed, attackers can readily locate and target vulnerable installations. For technical details regarding the vulnerability mechanism, refer to the GitHub Issue Discussion and VulDB entry.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-10663

Indicators of Compromise

• HTTP requests to /my-profile.php containing SQL syntax characters such as single quotes, semicolons, UNION statements, or comment sequences in the cgpa parameter
• Database error messages appearing in application logs or HTTP responses indicating SQL syntax errors
• Unusual database queries or access patterns in database audit logs, particularly those involving the user profile tables
• Web application firewall (WAF) alerts for SQL Injection patterns targeting the profile update functionality

Detection Strategies

• Deploy web application firewall rules to detect and block SQL Injection patterns in requests to /my-profile.php
• Enable database query logging and monitor for anomalous queries containing injection patterns or unauthorized data access
• Implement application-level input validation logging to capture rejected or suspicious input values
• Use intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for common SQL Injection attack patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor web server access logs for repeated requests to /my-profile.php with varying parameter values, which may indicate exploitation attempts
• Set up alerts for database errors related to malformed SQL queries originating from the application
• Track failed authentication attempts and unauthorized data access that may result from successful SQL Injection attacks

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-10663

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict access to the /my-profile.php endpoint until a patch is applied or implement strict input validation
• Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) with SQL Injection protection rules for the affected endpoint
• Review and audit database user permissions to minimize potential impact from successful exploitation
• Back up database contents and monitor for signs of unauthorized access or data modification

Patch Information

As of the last update on 2025-09-20, no official vendor patch has been published in the CVE data. Organizations should monitor the PHP Gurukul homepage for security updates and patches. Consider reaching out to the vendor directly for patch availability or upgrade recommendations.

Workarounds

• Implement server-side input validation to restrict the cgpa parameter to expected numeric formats only (e.g., decimal values between 0.0 and 10.0)
• Apply prepared statements and parameterized queries in the application code if source code access is available
• Use a web application firewall to filter malicious SQL Injection payloads targeting the vulnerable endpoint
• Consider temporarily disabling the profile update functionality until proper security controls are in place

# Example Apache mod_rewrite rule to block suspicious cgpa parameter values
# Add to .htaccess or Apache configuration
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} cgpa=.*(\%27|\'|\-\-|union|select|insert|drop|update|delete) [NC]
RewriteRule ^my-profile\.php$ - [F,L]