CVE-2025-2739: Old Age Home Management System SQL Injection

CVE-2025-2739 Overview

A SQL injection vulnerability has been identified in PHPGurukul Old Age Home Management System version 1.0. This vulnerability exists in the /admin/manage-services.php file, where improper handling of the sertitle parameter allows attackers to inject malicious SQL commands. The vulnerability can be exploited remotely without authentication, potentially allowing unauthorized access to sensitive database information, data manipulation, or complete database compromise.

Critical Impact

This SQL injection vulnerability enables remote attackers to manipulate database queries through the sertitle parameter, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, modification, or deletion of records in the management system database.

Affected Products

• PHPGurukul Old Age Home Management System 1.0
• Installations using the vulnerable /admin/manage-services.php endpoint
• Systems with network-accessible administrative interfaces

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-03-25 - CVE-2025-2739 published to NVD
• 2025-05-06 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-2739

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL injection vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation in the administrative services management functionality. The /admin/manage-services.php endpoint accepts user-supplied input through the sertitle parameter without proper sanitization or parameterized query implementation. This allows attackers to craft malicious input that breaks out of the intended SQL query structure and executes arbitrary database commands.

The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it exists in an administrative interface, meaning successful exploitation could grant attackers access to sensitive records including resident information, staff data, and system configurations typically stored in such management applications.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is classified under CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component), specifically manifesting as SQL injection. The application fails to properly neutralize special characters and SQL syntax within the sertitle parameter before incorporating it into database queries. This lack of input sanitization allows attackers to inject SQL metacharacters that alter the query's intended logic.

Attack Vector

The attack can be initiated remotely over the network without requiring any authentication or user interaction. An attacker can craft HTTP requests to the /admin/manage-services.php endpoint containing malicious SQL payloads in the sertitle parameter. The exploit has been publicly disclosed, increasing the risk of exploitation in the wild.

Attack characteristics include:

• Network-based: Exploitable from any network location with access to the application
• No authentication required: The vulnerable endpoint can be targeted without valid credentials
• Low complexity: Standard SQL injection techniques can be employed
• Public disclosure: Technical details have been shared in public repositories, lowering the barrier for exploitation

The vulnerability mechanism involves the direct concatenation or interpolation of user input into SQL statements. When the sertitle parameter value is processed, SQL metacharacters such as single quotes, semicolons, or comment sequences can escape the data context and inject additional SQL commands. For detailed technical information, refer to the GitHub SQL Injection Issue.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-2739

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual or malformed requests to /admin/manage-services.php containing SQL syntax in the sertitle parameter
• Database error messages appearing in application logs or responses indicating SQL syntax errors
• Unexpected database queries or data exfiltration patterns in database audit logs
• Access attempts from suspicious IP addresses targeting administrative endpoints

Detection Strategies

• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in HTTP requests
• Implement application-level logging to capture all requests to /admin/manage-services.php with parameter values
• Monitor database query logs for anomalous query structures or UNION-based injection patterns
• Enable intrusion detection system (IDS) signatures for common SQL injection attack vectors

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure real-time alerting for requests containing SQL keywords (SELECT, UNION, INSERT, DROP) in form parameters
• Establish baseline traffic patterns for administrative endpoints and alert on deviations
• Monitor for bulk data access patterns that could indicate successful database enumeration
• Review authentication logs for failed or suspicious login attempts following exploitation attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-2739

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict network access to the /admin/manage-services.php endpoint using firewall rules or IP whitelisting
• Implement a Web Application Firewall with SQL injection protection rules as an interim measure
• Review and audit the application codebase for similar input validation issues
• Consider taking the application offline if it contains sensitive data and cannot be adequately protected

Patch Information

At the time of publication, no official patch has been released by PHPGurukul for this vulnerability. Organizations using this software should monitor the PHP Gurukul Main Site for security updates. Until a patch is available, implementing the workarounds and mitigations described below is strongly recommended.

For additional technical details and tracking information, refer to the VulDB #300761 advisory.

Workarounds

• Implement input validation at the application level by modifying the source code to use prepared statements with parameterized queries
• Deploy a reverse proxy with request filtering capabilities to sanitize input before it reaches the application
• Restrict administrative interface access to trusted IP addresses only using network-level controls
• Consider migrating to a more actively maintained management system if patches are not forthcoming

# Configuration example - Apache mod_security rule to block SQL injection attempts
# Add to .htaccess or Apache configuration
SecRule ARGS:sertitle "@detectSQLi" \
    "id:1001,\
    phase:2,\
    deny,\
    status:403,\
    log,\
    msg:'SQL Injection attempt blocked in sertitle parameter'"