CVE-2025-14940: Scholars Tracking System SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2025-14940 Overview

A SQL Injection vulnerability has been identified in the Fabian Scholars Tracking System version 1.0. The vulnerability exists within the /admin/delete_user.php file, where improper handling of the ID parameter allows attackers to inject malicious SQL commands. This flaw enables remote attackers to manipulate database queries without authentication, 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 database.

Affected Products

• Fabian Scholars Tracking System 1.0
• Systems running the vulnerable /admin/delete_user.php endpoint

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-12-19 - CVE-2025-14940 published to NVD
• 2025-12-24 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-14940

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL Injection vulnerability (CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component) affects the administrative user deletion functionality in the Scholars Tracking System. The vulnerable endpoint /admin/delete_user.php fails to properly sanitize the ID parameter before incorporating it into SQL queries, allowing attackers to inject arbitrary SQL statements.

The vulnerability is exploitable remotely without requiring any authentication or user interaction. An attacker can craft malicious requests containing SQL injection payloads in the ID parameter to manipulate the underlying database queries. Successful exploitation could allow data exfiltration, privilege escalation, or complete database compromise.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the lack of proper input validation and sanitization on the ID parameter in the /admin/delete_user.php file. The application directly incorporates user-supplied input into SQL queries without using parameterized queries or prepared statements, creating a classic SQL injection vulnerability.

Attack Vector

The attack is conducted remotely over the network by sending specially crafted HTTP requests to the vulnerable endpoint. An attacker can manipulate the ID parameter with SQL injection payloads to alter the intended query logic. Common attack techniques include:

• Union-based SQL injection: Extracting data from other database tables by appending UNION SELECT statements
• Boolean-based blind injection: Inferring database contents through true/false response differences
• Time-based blind injection: Using database delay functions to extract information character by character
• Error-based injection: Leveraging verbose error messages to reveal database structure and contents

The vulnerability has been publicly disclosed as noted in the GitHub CVE Issue Discussion, increasing the risk of active exploitation.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-14940

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual HTTP requests to /admin/delete_user.php containing special SQL characters such as single quotes, semicolons, or SQL keywords
• Database error messages in application logs indicating malformed SQL queries
• Unexpected data access patterns or bulk data extraction from the database
• Anomalous authentication events or privilege changes without corresponding legitimate administrative actions

Detection Strategies

• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in the ID parameter
• Implement application-level logging for all requests to administrative endpoints including /admin/delete_user.php
• Configure database audit logging to track unusual query patterns, especially those involving administrative tables
• Use intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for common SQL injection payloads

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor web server access logs for requests to /admin/delete_user.php with suspicious parameter values
• Set up alerts for database errors indicating syntax issues or unauthorized table access attempts
• Track administrative user account changes and deletions for unexpected modifications
• Implement real-time monitoring for data exfiltration patterns from the application database

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-14940

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict access to the /admin/delete_user.php endpoint using network-level controls or application firewall rules
• Implement input validation to ensure the ID parameter only accepts numeric values
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall with SQL injection protection rules
• Consider taking the affected endpoint offline until a proper fix can be applied

Patch Information

As of the last NVD update on 2025-12-24, no official vendor patch has been released for this vulnerability. Organizations using the Fabian Scholars Tracking System 1.0 should monitor the Code Projects Resource Hub for security updates. Additional vulnerability details are available at VulDB #337520.

Workarounds

• Implement parameterized queries or prepared statements in the vulnerable PHP code to prevent SQL injection
• Add server-side input validation to ensure the ID parameter contains only integer values
• Restrict access to administrative endpoints using IP whitelisting or VPN requirements
• Deploy a reverse proxy with SQL injection filtering capabilities in front of the application

# Example .htaccess configuration to restrict admin access
<Directory "/admin">
    # Restrict access to specific IP addresses
    Require ip 192.168.1.0/24
    Require ip 10.0.0.0/8
    
    # Block common SQL injection patterns
    RewriteEngine On
    RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} ['"();] [NC,OR]
    RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} (union|select|insert|update|delete|drop) [NC]
    RewriteRule .* - [F,L]
</Directory>