CVE-2025-22957: Zzcms SQL Injection Vulnerability

CVE-2025-22957 Overview

CVE-2025-22957 is a SQL injection vulnerability in the front-end of ZZCMS, a content management system. This vulnerability exists in versions up to and including 2023 and can be exploited without any authentication. Attackers can leverage this flaw to gain unauthorized access to the underlying database and extract sensitive information, potentially compromising the entire application and its data.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can exploit this SQL injection vulnerability to access, modify, or delete database contents, potentially leading to complete data breach and system compromise.

Affected Products

• ZZCMS version 2023 and earlier
• All ZZCMS installations with default front-end configurations
• Websites running vulnerable ZZCMS deployments

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-01-31 - CVE-2025-22957 published to NVD
• 2025-04-22 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-22957

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL injection vulnerability (CWE-89) exists in the front-end component of ZZCMS. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to inject malicious SQL statements through user-controllable input fields without requiring any form of authentication. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by any unauthenticated attacker with network access to the affected system.

The lack of authentication requirements significantly lowers the barrier to exploitation. Successful exploitation could allow attackers to read sensitive database contents including user credentials, administrative information, and business data. Additionally, depending on database configuration and permissions, attackers may be able to modify or delete data, or potentially achieve further system access through database features like xp_cmdshell in SQL Server or LOAD_FILE() in MySQL.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper input validation and sanitization in the ZZCMS front-end code. User-supplied input is directly incorporated into SQL queries without adequate escaping, parameterization, or other protective measures. This allows specially crafted input to break out of the intended query context and execute arbitrary SQL commands.

Attack Vector

The vulnerability is exploitable over the network without requiring authentication or user interaction. Attackers can craft malicious HTTP requests containing SQL injection payloads targeting vulnerable input parameters in the ZZCMS front-end. These payloads can manipulate the database queries executed by the application.

Common attack techniques include using UNION-based injection to extract data from other tables, boolean-based blind injection to infer data character by character, time-based blind injection using database delay functions, and error-based injection to extract information through error messages.

For detailed technical information about this vulnerability, refer to the GitHub CVE-2025-22957 Report.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-22957

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual or malformed HTTP requests containing SQL syntax characters such as single quotes, double dashes, semicolons, or UNION SELECT statements
• Database error messages appearing in application responses or logs
• Unexpected database queries in database audit logs, particularly those accessing system tables or multiple unrelated tables
• Evidence of data exfiltration or unusual outbound data transfers from database servers

Detection Strategies

• Deploy Web Application Firewalls (WAF) with SQL injection detection rules to identify and block common injection patterns
• Enable detailed database query logging and monitor for suspicious query patterns including UNION, SELECT * FROM, system table access, or excessive OR 1=1 conditions
• Implement application-level logging to capture and alert on requests containing potential SQL injection payloads
• Use intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for SQL injection attack patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure real-time alerts for database errors that may indicate injection attempts
• Monitor for unusual database access patterns such as bulk data reads or access to sensitive tables from web application accounts
• Establish baseline metrics for normal database query volume and alert on significant deviations
• Review web server access logs regularly for requests with encoded SQL characters or known injection patterns

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-22957

Immediate Actions Required

• Audit all ZZCMS installations in your environment to identify vulnerable versions (2023 and earlier)
• Implement WAF rules to filter SQL injection attempts as a temporary protective measure
• Review and restrict database user permissions to minimize potential impact of successful exploitation
• Consider taking vulnerable systems offline or restricting network access until patched versions are available

Patch Information

Check the ZZCMS Official Website for updated versions that address this vulnerability. As of the last NVD update, organizations should verify the availability of patches directly with the vendor. If no official patch is available, implement the workarounds and compensating controls described below.

Workarounds

• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) in front of ZZCMS installations with strict SQL injection filtering rules
• Implement network-level access controls to restrict access to ZZCMS to trusted IP addresses only
• If feasible, modify the vulnerable code to use parameterized queries or prepared statements
• Consider migrating to an alternative CMS if patches are not available or the product is no longer maintained

# Example WAF rule for ModSecurity to block common SQL injection patterns
SecRule ARGS "@rx (?i)(\%27)|(\')|(\-\-)|(\%23)|(#)" \
    "id:1000,phase:2,deny,status:403,log,msg:'SQL Injection Attempt Detected'"