CVE-2025-2735: Old Age Home Management System SQLi Flaw

CVE-2025-2735 Overview

A critical SQL injection vulnerability has been identified in PHPGurukul Old Age Home Management System version 1.0. The vulnerability exists in the /admin/add-services.php file, where improper handling of the sertitle argument allows attackers to inject malicious SQL queries. This flaw enables remote attackers to manipulate database operations without requiring 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, modify database records, or potentially gain unauthorized administrative access to the Old Age Home Management System.

Affected Products

PHPGurukul Old Age Home Management System 1.0

Discovery Timeline

2025-03-25 - CVE-2025-2735 published to NVD
2025-05-15 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-2735

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL injection vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation in the service management functionality of the PHPGurukul Old Age Home Management System. The vulnerable endpoint /admin/add-services.php accepts user-supplied input through the sertitle parameter and incorporates it directly into SQL queries without proper sanitization or parameterization.

The attack can be launched remotely over the network with low complexity, requiring no special privileges or user interaction. The vulnerability allows attackers to inject arbitrary SQL commands that are executed against the backend database, potentially compromising the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of stored data.

The exploit for this vulnerability has been publicly disclosed, increasing the risk of active exploitation. Organizations using this software should treat this as a high-priority security concern requiring immediate attention.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper input validation and the lack of parameterized queries in the add-services.php file. The application directly concatenates user-supplied input from the sertitle parameter into SQL statements, violating secure coding practices for database interactions. This falls under CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command) and CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component).

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, allowing remote exploitation without authentication. An attacker can craft malicious HTTP requests to the /admin/add-services.php endpoint with SQL injection payloads in the sertitle parameter.

The vulnerability is exploited by sending specially crafted input that breaks out of the intended SQL query structure. For example, an attacker could inject SQL commands through the service title field to perform unauthorized database operations such as:

Extracting sensitive user credentials and personal information
Modifying or deleting records in the database
Bypassing authentication mechanisms
Potentially achieving command execution if database features like xp_cmdshell (MSSQL) or INTO OUTFILE (MySQL) are enabled

For detailed technical information about this vulnerability, refer to the GitHub CVE Issue Discussion and VulDB #300757.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-2735

Indicators of Compromise

Unusual or malformed HTTP requests to /admin/add-services.php containing SQL syntax such as quotes, UNION statements, or comment characters
Database error messages appearing in application logs or responses indicating SQL syntax errors
Unexpected database queries or slow query logs showing injection patterns
Unauthorized modifications to service records or database tables

Detection Strategies

Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in the sertitle parameter
Monitor web server access logs for suspicious requests targeting /admin/add-services.php with unusual payloads
Deploy intrusion detection systems (IDS) with signatures for common SQL injection attack patterns
Enable database query logging and audit trails to identify anomalous query patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

Configure real-time alerting for HTTP requests containing SQL injection indicators targeting the admin service endpoints
Implement database activity monitoring to detect unauthorized data access or exfiltration attempts
Review application logs regularly for error messages that may indicate exploitation attempts
Set up anomaly detection for unusual database query volumes or patterns

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-2735

Immediate Actions Required

Restrict access to the /admin/add-services.php endpoint by implementing IP-based access controls or VPN requirements
Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with SQL injection protection rules
Consider taking the affected application offline until patches are available or mitigations are in place
Audit existing database records for signs of tampering or unauthorized access

Patch Information

As of the last update on 2025-05-15, no official patch has been released by PHPGurukul for this vulnerability. Organizations should monitor the PHPGurukul website for security updates and apply patches immediately when available. In the meantime, implement the recommended workarounds and monitor systems closely for exploitation attempts.

Workarounds

Implement prepared statements and parameterized queries in the vulnerable PHP file to prevent SQL injection
Apply strict input validation and sanitization for the sertitle parameter, rejecting any input containing SQL metacharacters
Use a Web Application Firewall to filter malicious requests before they reach the application
Restrict database user privileges to minimum required permissions, limiting the impact of successful injection attacks
Consider isolating the database server from direct network access and using application-level proxies

bash

# Example: Restrict access to admin directory via Apache .htaccess
# Add to /admin/.htaccess file
<Files "add-services.php">
    Order Deny,Allow
    Deny from all
    Allow from 192.168.1.0/24
    Allow from 10.0.0.0/8
</Files>

# Enable mod_security rules for SQL injection protection
SecRule ARGS:sertitle "@detectSQLi" "id:1001,phase:2,deny,status:403,msg:'SQL Injection attempt detected'"