CVE-2025-13263: Online Magazine Management System SQLi

CVE-2025-13263 Overview

CVE-2025-13263 is a SQL injection vulnerability in SourceCodester Online Magazine Management System version 1.0. The flaw resides in the /categories.php script, where the c parameter is passed to a database query without proper sanitization. Attackers can manipulate this parameter to inject arbitrary SQL statements. The attack is exploitable remotely and requires low-privilege authentication. A public proof-of-concept exists on GitHub, increasing the likelihood of opportunistic exploitation against exposed installations.

Critical Impact
Authenticated remote attackers can manipulate the c parameter in /categories.php to perform blind SQL injection, exposing database contents and undermining application integrity.

Affected Products

Oretnom23 (SourceCodester) Online Magazine Management System 1.0
Deployments using the unpatched /categories.php endpoint
Installations exposing the application to untrusted networks

Discovery Timeline

2025-11-17 - CVE-2025-13263 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-04-29 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-13263

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 affected file /categories.php accepts a user-supplied c parameter and incorporates it directly into a SQL query. Because the application does not use prepared statements or input validation, attackers can append SQL syntax to alter query logic.

The public proof-of-concept demonstrates blind SQL injection, which extracts data through inference based on conditional responses or time delays. Successful exploitation can disclose article content, user credentials, administrative records, and session data stored in the underlying database. Although the attacker requires a low-privilege account, the application is a typical web-facing CMS where account registration may be permitted by default.

Root Cause

The root cause is the direct concatenation of the c request parameter into a SQL statement within /categories.php. The codebase lacks parameterized queries and centralized input sanitization for category identifiers, allowing attacker-controlled values to break out of the intended query context.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based over HTTP/HTTPS. An attacker authenticates with a low-privilege account, then sends crafted requests to /categories.php?c=<payload>. Boolean-based or time-based blind payloads enable iterative data extraction without direct output of query results. See the GitHub PoC Repository for the documented exploitation technique.

// No verified code example available. Refer to the linked PoC for payload structure
// targeting the vulnerable `c` parameter in /categories.php.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-13263

Indicators of Compromise

HTTP requests to /categories.php containing SQL syntax in the c parameter, such as UNION, SLEEP(, AND 1=1, or encoded equivalents
Repeated requests to /categories.php with incrementally changing values, consistent with automated SQLi tooling such as sqlmap
Unusually high response latency for /categories.php requests, indicating time-based blind injection
Application or database error messages referencing SQL syntax errors in web server logs

Detection Strategies

Inspect web server access logs for categories.php requests containing SQL keywords or hex/URL-encoded payloads in the c parameter
Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule set with SQL injection signatures, including OWASP CRS rules 942100–942999
Enable database query logging and alert on queries originating from the application that contain unexpected UNION, SLEEP, or BENCHMARK constructs

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward web server, application, and database logs to a centralized analytics platform and correlate request patterns with database query anomalies
Track the rate of 4xx/5xx responses from /categories.php to detect injection probing
Monitor for newly registered low-privilege accounts followed by access to /categories.php

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-13263

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict public access to the Online Magazine Management System until a vendor-supplied patch is available
Disable or remove the /categories.php endpoint if it is not required for production operation
Audit recent access logs for evidence of exploitation against the c parameter and rotate database credentials if compromise is suspected
Disable open user registration to prevent attackers from obtaining the low-privilege account needed for exploitation

Patch Information

No official vendor patch has been published for SourceCodester Online Magazine Management System 1.0 at the time of NVD publication. Operators should apply source-level fixes by replacing dynamic SQL concatenation with parameterized queries (prepared statements) using PDO or mysqli with bound parameters, and by validating that the c parameter is a positive integer before use.

Workarounds

Place the application behind a WAF with SQL injection rule sets configured in blocking mode
Apply server-side input validation that rejects any non-integer value for the c parameter at a reverse proxy or middleware layer
Enforce least-privilege database accounts so the application database user cannot read sensitive tables outside its scope

bash

# Example nginx rule to drop non-numeric values for the c parameter
location = /categories.php {
    if ($arg_c !~ "^[0-9]+$") {
        return 400;
    }
    include fastcgi_params;
    fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php-fpm.sock;
}