CVE-2025-11601: Student Result System SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2025-11601 Overview

A SQL Injection vulnerability has been identified in SourceCodester Online Student Result System version 1.0. The vulnerability exists in the /login.php file where the Username parameter is susceptible to SQL injection attacks due to improper input sanitization. This allows remote attackers to manipulate SQL queries by injecting malicious input through the authentication mechanism, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, data modification, or complete database compromise.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this SQL injection vulnerability to bypass authentication, extract sensitive student data, and potentially gain unauthorized access to the underlying database system.

Affected Products

• SourceCodester Online Student Result System 1.0
• Oretnom23 Online Student Result System (all versions prior to patching)

Discovery Timeline

• October 11, 2025 - CVE-2025-11601 published to NVD
• October 20, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-11601

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL injection vulnerability affects the login functionality of the Online Student Result System. The /login.php file fails to properly validate and sanitize user-supplied input in the Username parameter before incorporating it into SQL queries. This classic injection flaw enables attackers to modify the structure and logic of database queries executed by the application.

The vulnerability is classified under CWE-89 (SQL Injection) and CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component). The public exploit availability significantly increases the risk profile, as threat actors can readily leverage existing proof-of-concept code to target vulnerable installations.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the lack of proper input validation and parameterized queries in the authentication mechanism. The application directly concatenates user-supplied input from the Username field into SQL statements without sanitization or use of prepared statements. This allows special SQL characters and commands to be interpreted as part of the query structure rather than as literal data values.

Attack Vector

The attack can be initiated remotely over the network without requiring any prior authentication or user interaction. An attacker targets the login page at /login.php and submits a crafted payload in the Username field. By injecting SQL syntax such as single quotes, SQL comments, or boolean-based payloads, the attacker can manipulate query logic to bypass authentication checks, extract database contents via UNION-based injection, or potentially execute administrative operations on the database.

The exploitation technique typically involves:

1. Identifying the vulnerable input parameter on the login form
2. Testing for SQL injection using common payloads (e.g., single quotes, OR statements)
3. Crafting injection strings to either bypass authentication or extract data
4. Leveraging successful injection to access student records or administrative functions

For technical details and proof-of-concept information, refer to the GitHub Issue CVE Report and VulDB entry #327922.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-11601

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual SQL error messages in application logs from /login.php endpoint
• Multiple failed login attempts containing SQL syntax characters (single quotes, double dashes, semicolons)
• Database query logs showing malformed or unexpected SQL statements in authentication queries
• Unexpected data extraction patterns or bulk SELECT operations in database audit logs

Detection Strategies

• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection payloads in POST parameters
• Implement application-level logging to capture and alert on suspicious input patterns in the Username field
• Configure database monitoring to flag queries containing injection indicators like UNION SELECT, OR 1=1, or comment sequences
• Use intrusion detection systems with SQL injection signature detection enabled for web traffic

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging on the web server for the /login.php endpoint
• Monitor database query execution times for anomalies that may indicate time-based blind SQL injection attempts
• Set up alerts for authentication bypass events or unexpected administrative access patterns
• Review access logs for repeated requests to the login page with varying payloads

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-11601

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict access to the Online Student Result System to trusted networks only until patching is complete
• Implement a Web Application Firewall with SQL injection protection rules in front of the application
• Review and audit recent login attempts and database access for signs of exploitation
• Consider taking the affected application offline if sensitive student data is at risk

Patch Information

No official vendor patch has been released as of the last NVD update. Organizations using this software should monitor SourceCodester for security updates and patch availability. Given this is an open-source project by oretnom23, users may need to implement their own fixes or consider alternative software solutions.

For additional vulnerability intelligence, consult the VulDB CTI entry and VulDB submission #671918.

Workarounds

• Implement parameterized queries (prepared statements) by modifying the /login.php source code to use PDO or MySQLi with bound parameters
• Add server-side input validation to reject special characters commonly used in SQL injection attacks
• Deploy a reverse proxy or WAF to filter malicious requests before they reach the application
• Implement rate limiting on the login endpoint to slow down automated exploitation attempts
• Use database user accounts with minimal privileges (principle of least privilege) to limit the impact of successful injection

# Example WAF rule for ModSecurity to block common SQL injection patterns
SecRule ARGS:Username "@rx (?i:(\%27)|(\')|(\-\-)|(\%23)|(#)|(\*)|(\bor\b)|(\band\b)|(\bunion\b)|(\bselect\b))" \
    "id:100001,\
    phase:2,\
    deny,\
    status:403,\
    log,\
    msg:'SQL Injection Attempt Blocked on Username Parameter'"