CVE-2025-13059: Alumni Management System SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2025-13059 Overview

A SQL injection vulnerability has been identified in SourceCodester Alumni Management System version 1.0. The vulnerability exists in the /manage_career.php file, where improper handling of the ID parameter allows attackers to inject malicious SQL queries. This flaw enables remote attackers to manipulate database queries, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, modification, or deletion.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this SQL injection vulnerability to bypass authentication, extract sensitive data from the database, modify or delete records, and potentially compromise the entire application backend.

Affected Products

• SourceCodester Alumni Management System 1.0
• oretnom23 alumni_management_system

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-11-12 - CVE-2025-13059 published to NVD
• 2025-11-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-13059

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL injection vulnerability (CWE-89) occurs due to improper neutralization of special elements used in SQL commands within the /manage_career.php file. The application fails to properly sanitize or parameterize the ID argument before incorporating it into SQL queries, creating a classic injection point that attackers can exploit remotely over the network.

The vulnerability is classified under CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component) and CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command). The exploit requires low privileges and no user interaction, making it relatively straightforward to execute once an attacker identifies the vulnerable endpoint.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the failure to implement proper input validation and parameterized queries in the /manage_career.php file. The ID parameter is directly concatenated into SQL statements without proper sanitization, escaping, or the use of prepared statements. This allows specially crafted input to alter the intended SQL query structure.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, allowing remote exploitation without requiring physical access to the target system. An authenticated attacker with low privileges can manipulate the ID parameter in requests to /manage_career.php to inject malicious SQL syntax. This could include UNION-based attacks to extract data from other tables, time-based blind injection to enumerate database contents, or stacked queries to modify database records.

The vulnerability can be exploited by crafting HTTP requests with malicious SQL payloads in the ID parameter. For detailed technical analysis and proof-of-concept information, refer to the GitHub CVE Issue Tracker and VulDB entry #332186.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-13059

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual database query patterns or errors in application logs originating from /manage_career.php
• HTTP requests containing SQL syntax characters (single quotes, double dashes, UNION statements) in the ID parameter
• Unexpected database access patterns or data exfiltration attempts
• Error messages revealing database structure or query information in responses

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns targeting the ID parameter
• Monitor application logs for SQL syntax errors and malformed query exceptions
• Deploy intrusion detection signatures for common SQL injection attack patterns
• Audit database query logs for anomalous queries originating from the Alumni Management System

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for all requests to /manage_career.php and related career management endpoints
• Set up alerts for database error rates exceeding normal baseline thresholds
• Monitor for large data transfers from the database that may indicate data exfiltration
• Implement real-time monitoring for authentication bypass attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-13059

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict access to /manage_career.php to trusted networks or authenticated administrators only
• Implement input validation to reject requests containing SQL metacharacters in the ID parameter
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall with SQL injection protection rules
• Consider taking the Alumni Management System offline until a patch is available

Patch Information

No official vendor patch has been released for this vulnerability at the time of publication. Organizations using SourceCodester Alumni Management System 1.0 should contact the vendor at SourceCodester for remediation guidance. Additional vulnerability details are available through VulDB CTI ID #332186.

Workarounds

• Implement prepared statements or parameterized queries for all database interactions in /manage_career.php
• Add server-side input validation to sanitize the ID parameter, accepting only numeric values
• Deploy network-level access controls to limit exposure of the vulnerable endpoint
• Consider implementing a reverse proxy with SQL injection filtering capabilities

To implement input validation for the ID parameter, ensure the application validates that the parameter contains only numeric characters before processing:

# Input validation example for /manage_career.php
// Validate ID parameter is numeric before use
$id = isset($_GET['id']) ? $_GET['id'] : '';
if (!ctype_digit($id)) {
    die('Invalid ID parameter');
}
// Use prepared statements for database queries
$stmt = $pdo->prepare("SELECT * FROM careers WHERE id = ?");
$stmt->execute([$id]);