CVE-2025-11668: Fabian Automated Voting System SQL Injection

CVE-2025-11668 Overview

CVE-2025-11668 is a SQL injection vulnerability in code-projects Automated Voting System 1.0. The flaw resides in the /admin/update_user.php script, where the Password parameter is passed to a database query without proper sanitization. An authenticated remote attacker with high privileges can manipulate the parameter to inject arbitrary SQL statements. The exploit details have been publicly disclosed, increasing the risk of opportunistic abuse against exposed instances.

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation allows attackers to read, modify, or delete data in the application database backing the voting system administration interface.

Affected Products

code-projects Automated Voting System 1.0
Component: /admin/update_user.php
Vulnerable parameter: Password

Discovery Timeline

2025-10-13 - CVE-2025-11668 published to NVD
2026-04-29 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-11668

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is classified under [CWE-89] Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command and [CWE-74] Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component. The administrative user update endpoint accepts the Password field from an HTTP request and concatenates it into a SQL UPDATE statement. Because the input is not validated, escaped, or bound through a prepared statement, attacker-controlled SQL syntax is interpreted as part of the query.

Authentication is required because the endpoint resides under /admin/, which aligns with the high privileges requirement noted in the vulnerability scoring. However, any account with administrative access — including a compromised low-trust admin account — can leverage the flaw to manipulate the underlying database.

Root Cause

The root cause is the absence of parameterized queries when processing the Password value in update_user.php. User-supplied data is treated as trusted SQL syntax rather than as a value. Standard PHP database APIs such as PDO prepared statements or mysqli bound parameters are not used at this code path.

Attack Vector

An attacker authenticated to the admin panel sends a crafted HTTP request to /admin/update_user.php with a malicious Password value. Injected payloads can append UNION SELECT clauses, modify WHERE conditions, or terminate the original query to execute secondary statements. Depending on the database user's permissions, impact ranges from disclosure of stored credentials and voter records to tampering with election data integrity.

The vulnerability mechanism is documented in the public GitHub CVE Issue Tracker and the VulDB ID #328088 advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-11668

Indicators of Compromise

Requests to /admin/update_user.php containing SQL meta-characters such as ', --, UNION, or SLEEP( in the Password parameter
Unexpected modifications to the users table, including new administrative accounts or altered password hashes
Database error messages logged by the application after POST requests to the admin update endpoint

Detection Strategies

Inspect web server access logs for POST requests to /admin/update_user.php with abnormally long or encoded Password values
Enable database query logging and search for malformed UPDATE statements targeting the user table
Deploy a Web Application Firewall ruleset that matches SQL injection signatures on administrative endpoints

Monitoring Recommendations

Alert on repeated failed admin logins followed by successful access from the same source address
Track creation or privilege elevation of user accounts in the voting system database
Forward web and database logs to a centralized analytics platform for correlation and historical search

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-11668

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict network access to the /admin/ directory through IP allowlists or VPN-only access
Rotate credentials for all administrative accounts and review the user table for unauthorized entries
Place the application behind a Web Application Firewall configured with SQL injection rules

Patch Information

No vendor patch is currently referenced in the public advisories for code-projects Automated Voting System 1.0. Consult the Code Projects Security Resources page for updates. Until an official fix is released, operators should treat the application as vulnerable and apply compensating controls.

Workarounds

Modify update_user.php to use prepared statements with bound parameters for the Password field and any other user-supplied input
Apply server-side input validation that rejects SQL meta-characters in password fields before reaching the database layer
Run the application database account with the least privileges required, preventing schema changes or cross-database access

bash

# Example: restrict admin path to internal network via nginx
location /admin/ {
    allow 10.0.0.0/8;
    deny all;
}