CVE-2025-13248: Pamzey Queue Management System SQLi Flaw

CVE-2025-13248 Overview

A SQL injection vulnerability has been identified in SourceCodester Patients Waiting Area Queue Management System version 1.0. The vulnerability exists in the file /php/api_patient_schedule.php, where improper handling of the appointmentID argument allows attackers to inject malicious SQL commands. This vulnerability can be exploited remotely without authentication, potentially allowing unauthorized access to sensitive patient data stored in the backend database.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this SQL injection vulnerability to access, modify, or delete sensitive healthcare data including patient records and appointment information without authentication.

Affected Products

• Pamzey Patients Waiting Area Queue Management System 1.0
• SourceCodester Patients Waiting Area Queue Management System implementations

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-11-16 - CVE-2025-13248 published to NVD
• 2025-12-11 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-13248

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL injection vulnerability (CWE-89) stems from improper neutralization of special elements in the appointmentID parameter within the /php/api_patient_schedule.php endpoint. The application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before incorporating it into SQL queries, allowing attackers to manipulate database operations.

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). This indicates a fundamental input validation failure that enables injection attacks.

Healthcare queue management systems typically store sensitive patient information including names, contact details, medical appointment histories, and potentially medical conditions. Successful exploitation could compromise patient privacy and violate healthcare data protection regulations.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the lack of proper input validation and parameterized queries in the api_patient_schedule.php file. The appointmentID parameter is directly concatenated or interpolated into SQL queries without sanitization, escaping, or the use of prepared statements. This classic SQL injection pattern allows attackers to break out of the intended query context and execute arbitrary SQL commands.

Attack Vector

The vulnerability is exploitable remotely over the network. An attacker does not require any authentication or special privileges to exploit this vulnerability. The attack can be executed by sending crafted HTTP requests to the vulnerable endpoint with malicious SQL payloads in the appointmentID parameter.

A typical attack would involve sending requests to /php/api_patient_schedule.php with specially crafted appointmentID values containing SQL metacharacters and injection payloads. Attackers could use techniques such as UNION-based injection, Boolean-based blind injection, or time-based blind injection to extract data or manipulate the database.

The exploit has been publicly disclosed, and technical details are available through the GitHub Issue Tracker and VulDB, increasing the risk of exploitation in the wild.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-13248

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual or malformed HTTP requests to /php/api_patient_schedule.php containing SQL syntax characters (single quotes, double dashes, UNION statements)
• Database errors in application logs indicating SQL syntax errors or unexpected query behavior
• Abnormal database query patterns or access to tables/columns not typically accessed by the application
• Unexpected data exfiltration or bulk database read operations

Detection Strategies

• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in the appointmentID parameter
• Implement application-level logging to capture and alert on suspicious input patterns
• Monitor database query logs for anomalous or unauthorized SQL statements
• Use intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for SQL injection attack patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging on the web server for requests to /php/api_patient_schedule.php
• Configure database audit logging to track all queries executed against patient-related tables
• Set up alerts for HTTP requests containing common SQL injection patterns (e.g., ' OR 1=1, UNION SELECT, --)
• Monitor for unusual database connection patterns or elevated query volumes

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-13248

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict network access to the vulnerable endpoint /php/api_patient_schedule.php until a patch is applied
• Implement WAF rules to filter malicious input to the appointmentID parameter
• Review database access logs for signs of prior exploitation
• Consider taking the application offline if sensitive patient data is at risk

Patch Information

As of the last update on 2025-12-11, no official vendor patch has been released for this vulnerability. Organizations using this software should contact SourceCodester or the application developer for patch availability. In the meantime, apply the workarounds listed below and monitor for updates through SourceCodester.

Workarounds

• Implement parameterized queries (prepared statements) in the api_patient_schedule.php file to prevent SQL injection
• Add server-side input validation to ensure appointmentID only accepts expected numeric values
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) configured to block SQL injection attack patterns
• Restrict access to the application using network-level controls (firewall rules, VPN requirements)
• Apply the principle of least privilege to the database user account used by the application

# Example: Apache mod_rewrite rule to block suspicious appointmentID values
# Add to .htaccess or Apache configuration
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} appointmentID=.*(\%27|\'|\-\-|\%23|union|select|insert|drop|delete) [NC]
RewriteRule .* - [F,L]