CVE-2025-13561: Company Website CMS SQL Injection Flaw

CVE-2025-13561 Overview

CVE-2025-13561 is a SQL Injection vulnerability discovered in SourceCodester Company Website CMS version 1.0. The vulnerability exists in the /admin/index.php file and can be exploited through manipulation of the Username argument. This flaw allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL queries against the underlying database, 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 data, modify database contents, or potentially gain administrative access to the CMS platform.

Affected Products

SourceCodester Company Website CMS 1.0
Torrahclef Company Website CMS 1.0

Discovery Timeline

2025-11-23 - CVE-2025-13561 published to NVD
2025-11-26 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-13561

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL Injection vulnerability (CWE-89) stems from improper neutralization of special elements used in SQL commands within the /admin/index.php file. The affected code fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input in the Username parameter before incorporating it into SQL queries. This classic injection flaw falls under CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component), indicating that the application does not adequately filter or escape user input before using it in database operations.

The vulnerability is remotely exploitable without authentication, meaning any network-accessible attacker can target exposed instances of the CMS. The exploit has been publicly disclosed, increasing the risk of active exploitation in the wild.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is insufficient input validation and lack of parameterized queries in the admin login functionality. The Username parameter is directly concatenated into SQL statements without proper sanitization, escaping, or the use of prepared statements. This allows attackers to inject malicious SQL code that gets executed by the database engine.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, targeting the /admin/index.php endpoint. An attacker can craft malicious input in the Username field of the admin login form to inject arbitrary SQL commands. This could include authentication bypass payloads such as ' OR '1'='1 or more sophisticated queries designed to extract database contents using UNION-based or blind SQL injection techniques. Since no authentication is required to access the login page, any remote attacker with network access to the vulnerable system can attempt exploitation.

The vulnerability allows for potential extraction of sensitive data including administrator credentials, user information, and any other data stored in the database. Depending on database permissions and configuration, attackers may also be able to modify or delete data.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-13561

Indicators of Compromise

Unusual or malformed values in HTTP POST requests to /admin/index.php, particularly in the Username parameter
Database query errors or SQL syntax errors appearing in application logs
Unexpected database queries containing SQL keywords like UNION, SELECT, OR, --, or ' in the username field
Multiple failed login attempts with SQL injection patterns from the same IP address

Detection Strategies

Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block common SQL injection patterns in POST parameters
Enable detailed logging on the /admin/index.php endpoint and monitor for suspicious input patterns
Configure database query logging to identify anomalous or unexpected SQL statements
Deploy intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for SQL injection attacks targeting PHP applications

Monitoring Recommendations

Monitor web server access logs for requests to /admin/index.php containing SQL metacharacters
Set up alerts for database errors that may indicate SQL injection attempts
Implement rate limiting on the admin login page to slow down automated exploitation attempts
Regularly audit database query logs for unauthorized data access patterns

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-13561

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict network access to the /admin/index.php endpoint using IP whitelisting or VPN requirements
Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to filter malicious SQL injection payloads
Consider taking the affected CMS offline until a patch is available or the code can be remediated
Review database user permissions to minimize the impact of potential SQL injection exploitation

Patch Information

No official vendor patch has been released at the time of this writing. Administrators should monitor the SourceCodester Resource page for security updates. Additional technical details about this vulnerability can be found in the GitHub Issue Discussion and VulDB #333326.

Workarounds

Modify the source code in /admin/index.php to use prepared statements or parameterized queries for database operations
Implement input validation to reject usernames containing SQL metacharacters such as single quotes, semicolons, and comment sequences
Deploy a reverse proxy or WAF with SQL injection protection rules in front of the application
Restrict database user privileges to the minimum required for application functionality

bash

# Example: Restrict access to admin panel using .htaccess
<Files "index.php">
    <RequireAll>
        Require ip 192.168.1.0/24
        Require ip 10.0.0.0/8
    </RequireAll>
</Files>