CVE-2025-2052: Phpgurukul Apartment Visitors SQLi Flaw

CVE-2025-2052 Overview

CVE-2025-2052 is a SQL injection vulnerability in PHPGurukul Apartment Visitors Management System 1.0. The flaw exists in /forgot-password.php, where the contactno parameter is passed into a database query without proper sanitization. Attackers can manipulate the parameter to inject arbitrary SQL statements and interact with the backend database. The issue is exploitable remotely over the network and requires low-privileged access. Public exploit details have been disclosed, increasing the risk of opportunistic exploitation against exposed deployments. The weakness is categorized under CWE-89 (SQL Injection) and CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output).

Critical Impact
Remote attackers can inject SQL through the contactno parameter in forgot-password.php, potentially exposing or modifying user credentials and sensitive records.

Affected Products

PHPGurukul Apartment Visitors Management System 1.0
Component: /forgot-password.php
CPE: cpe:2.3:a:phpgurukul:apartment_visitors_management_system:1.0

Discovery Timeline

2025-03-07 - CVE-2025-2052 published to NVD
2025-05-08 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-2052

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the password recovery flow of the Apartment Visitors Management System. The forgot-password.php script accepts a contactno HTTP parameter submitted by the user. The application concatenates this input directly into a SQL query executed against the backend database. Because the parameter is not sanitized, parameterized, or escaped, an attacker can append SQL syntax that alters the original query logic. Successful exploitation allows attackers to read arbitrary database tables, including administrator credentials, or modify records to bypass authentication. The published EPSS probability is 0.06%, but public disclosure of exploitation details raises practical risk for internet-facing deployments.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper neutralization of user-supplied input within a SQL statement. The contactno argument is treated as a trusted string and embedded directly into the query. PHPGurukul applications historically rely on string concatenation rather than prepared statements with bound parameters, which leaves any input-handling endpoint susceptible to injection when validation is absent.

Attack Vector

An unauthenticated remote attacker submits a crafted HTTP POST request to /forgot-password.php with malicious SQL payloads in the contactno field. Typical payloads use boolean conditions, UNION SELECT statements, or time-based blind techniques to extract data. Exploitation requires no user interaction and no prior credentials. Public disclosure of the exploit means automated scanners and opportunistic actors can readily weaponize the issue.

The vulnerability manifests when the application builds a SQL query of the form SELECT ... FROM users WHERE contactno='<user_input>' and the input is provided verbatim. Refer to the VulDB entry #298805 and the GitHub disclosure issue for proof-of-concept details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-2052

Indicators of Compromise

HTTP POST requests to /forgot-password.php containing SQL meta-characters such as ', ", --, UNION, SELECT, SLEEP(, or OR 1=1 in the contactno parameter.
Web server access logs showing repeated forgot-password.php submissions from a single source within a short window.
Database error messages or unusually long response times indicating blind or error-based injection attempts.
Outbound database queries returning large result sets following requests to the affected endpoint.

Detection Strategies

Deploy web application firewall (WAF) rules to inspect the contactno parameter for SQL syntax and known injection signatures.
Enable verbose query logging on the MySQL backend and alert on syntactically anomalous queries originating from the application.
Correlate web server access logs with database audit logs to identify injection-driven query patterns.
Use static application security testing (SAST) tools to flag string concatenation in PHP database calls.

Monitoring Recommendations

Continuously monitor HTTP traffic to authentication and password recovery endpoints for payload anomalies.
Track failed login and password reset events for spikes that may indicate enumeration via SQL injection.
Forward web, application, and database logs to a centralized analytics platform for cross-source correlation.
Baseline normal request shapes for forgot-password.php and alert on deviations in parameter length or content.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-2052

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict public access to the Apartment Visitors Management System until a vendor patch is applied or compensating controls are in place.
Deploy WAF signatures that block SQL injection patterns targeting /forgot-password.php and the contactno parameter.
Audit the application database for unauthorized account changes, suspicious queries, or exfiltrated records.
Rotate administrator and user credentials if injection activity is suspected.

Patch Information

No official vendor patch has been published in the referenced advisories at the time of NVD publication. Monitor the PHPGurukul website and the VulDB tracking entry for updated guidance. Until a fix is released, replace vulnerable code with parameterized queries using mysqli_prepare() or PDO with bound parameters.

Workarounds

Implement server-side input validation that constrains contactno to numeric characters and a fixed length.
Refactor the affected PHP code to use prepared statements with bound parameters instead of string concatenation.
Place the application behind a reverse proxy or WAF that enforces strict request schemas on authentication endpoints.
Apply least-privilege database accounts so the application user cannot read sensitive tables beyond its operational scope.

bash

# Example WAF rule (ModSecurity) blocking SQL meta-characters in contactno
SecRule ARGS:contactno "@rx (?i)(\bunion\b|\bselect\b|--|';|\bor\b\s+1=1|sleep\()" \
  "id:1002052,phase:2,deny,status:403,log,msg:'CVE-2025-2052 SQLi attempt on forgot-password.php'"