CVE-2025-1952 Overview
A critical SQL injection vulnerability has been discovered in PHPGurukul Restaurant Table Booking System version 1.0. The vulnerability exists in the password recovery functionality located at /admin/password-recovery.php, where improper handling of the username and mobileno parameters allows remote attackers to inject malicious SQL statements. This flaw enables unauthorized database access without requiring authentication, potentially leading to data exfiltration, unauthorized access, or database manipulation.
Critical Impact
Remote attackers can exploit this SQL injection vulnerability without authentication to access, modify, or exfiltrate sensitive data from the application's database, including administrator credentials and customer information.
Affected Products
- PHPGurukul Restaurant Table Booking System 1.0
- Applications using vulnerable /admin/password-recovery.php endpoint
- Systems with unvalidated username and mobileno input parameters
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-03-04 - CVE-2025-1952 published to NVD
- 2025-04-03 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-1952
Vulnerability Analysis
This SQL injection vulnerability exists in the password recovery function of the PHPGurukul Restaurant Table Booking System. The application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input in the username and mobileno parameters before incorporating them into SQL queries. When a user submits a password recovery request through /admin/password-recovery.php, the values are directly concatenated into database queries without parameterization or proper escaping.
The vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to manipulate the SQL query structure by injecting malicious payloads through either the username or mobileno fields. This can result in authentication bypass, data extraction through UNION-based or blind SQL injection techniques, and potential modification or deletion of database records.
Root Cause
The root cause of this vulnerability is the lack of input validation and failure to use prepared statements or parameterized queries in the password recovery functionality. The application directly incorporates user input into SQL queries using string concatenation, which is a well-known insecure coding practice that enables SQL injection attacks. This is classified under CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component).
Attack Vector
The attack can be launched remotely over the network without requiring any authentication or user interaction. An attacker can craft malicious HTTP requests to the /admin/password-recovery.php endpoint, injecting SQL syntax through either the username or mobileno POST parameters. The injected SQL commands execute with the same privileges as the database user configured for the application, potentially allowing full database access.
The vulnerability is exploitable by sending specially crafted input containing SQL metacharacters and commands. For example, an attacker might inject payloads like ' OR '1'='1' -- or UNION SELECT statements to extract data from other tables. Since the exploit has been publicly disclosed, attackers have ready access to exploitation techniques. For detailed technical information, refer to the GitHub CVE Issue Tracker and VulDB #298542.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-1952
Indicators of Compromise
- Unusual HTTP POST requests to /admin/password-recovery.php containing SQL metacharacters such as single quotes, double dashes, or UNION keywords
- Database error messages appearing in web server logs or application responses indicating malformed SQL queries
- Unexpected database queries or data access patterns in database audit logs
- Multiple failed or anomalous password recovery attempts from single IP addresses
Detection Strategies
- Deploy web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection payloads in the username and mobileno parameters
- Implement application-level logging to capture all requests to the password recovery endpoint for security analysis
- Enable database query logging and monitor for suspicious patterns such as UNION SELECT, information_schema access, or time-based injection attempts
- Configure intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for common SQL injection attack patterns
Monitoring Recommendations
- Monitor web server access logs for requests to /admin/password-recovery.php with encoded or suspicious parameter values
- Set up alerts for database errors that may indicate SQL injection attempts
- Track authentication anomalies and unexpected administrative access patterns
- Review database audit logs for queries accessing sensitive tables or columns outside normal application behavior
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-1952
Immediate Actions Required
- Restrict access to the /admin/password-recovery.php endpoint through network controls or .htaccess rules until a patch is applied
- Implement input validation to reject SQL metacharacters in the username and mobileno fields
- Deploy WAF rules specifically targeting SQL injection attempts against the password recovery functionality
- Review database logs for evidence of prior exploitation and reset credentials if compromise is suspected
Patch Information
No official vendor patch has been released at the time of this publication. Organizations should monitor the PHP Gurukul Security Resource for updates and security advisories. In the absence of a vendor patch, implementing the workarounds below is strongly recommended.
Workarounds
- Disable or restrict access to the password recovery functionality by IP whitelisting or removing the file temporarily
- Implement prepared statements with parameterized queries in the affected code to prevent SQL injection
- Add server-side input validation to sanitize and escape special characters in user input
- Consider using a web application firewall with SQL injection protection rules as an additional defense layer
# Apache .htaccess configuration to restrict access to password recovery
<Files "password-recovery.php">
Order Deny,Allow
Deny from all
Allow from 192.168.1.0/24
</Files>
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
